COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Senior Will Shepherd splashed in a game-high 19 points to lead Midwestern State to a season opening 72-63 win over UC Colorado Springs Friday afternoon at Gallogly Center.

Shepherd enjoyed a superb shooting game, connecting on 8-of-11 shots from the field with three 3-pointers, and also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

And the Mustangs used a strong finish, outscoring the Mountain Lions by a 24-8 margin following the under-8 minute media timeout to claim a win in the season lid lifter for the second consecutive year.

That all came after UCCS cobbled together 13-2 run powered by 3-pointers by Jezza McKenzie, Derik Pranger, and Xavier Martinez to its largest lead of the game at 55-48 with 8:11 to play.

The Mountain Lions, however, were just 1-of-21 from the arc outside of the run and didn't connect on another triple for the rest of the game.

Midwestern State scored the next seven points to tie the game at 55-55 on Shepherd's last bucket of the game on a jumper inside the paint with 6:04 to play.

After Jayden Washington snapped the run with a layup in transition to give UCCS its last lead of the game, Pierre Sanders nailed a triple from the top of the key to give the Mustangs the lead for good at 58-57 while igniting another 8-0 run.

The Mountain Lions chipped back to within 63-61 on a basket by Martinez with 3:14 to go, but the Mustangs finished the game by outscoring UCCS 9-2 to secure the victory.

Sanders added 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line, while also grabbing four rebounds before fouling out in 30 minutes.

Junior Mason Gibson chipped in 10 points and three rebounds, while newcomer Noah McDavid added nine points.

UCCS senior William Becker had 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds and two blocked shots to lead the Mountain Lions.

Midwestern State takes on Colorado State-Pueblo Sunday afternoon at Massari Arena in Pueblo. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
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