COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Midwestern State (2-1) defeated UCCS (1-1) 79-78 on Saturday after
Josiah Kirkwood nailed a 3-pointer with three seconds left. The Mustangs scored 50 bench points and turned 21 Mountain Lions turnovers into 25 points.
MSU scored the first four points on a
Charles McClennahan, Jr. layup and a
Kadon Jackson putback, but the Mountain Lions moved ahead 5-4 before
Joshua Mendes' offensive rebound and layup at 16:35 put the Mustangs back in front. The Mustangs pushed the margin to 15-6 with Mendes,
Trenton Pane and
Tehshaundre Cole contributing baskets, before the Mountain Lions answered with two Jayden Washington 3-pointers and a Brody Hull dunk to take a 16-15 lead.
Aric Demings scored inside and added a free throw at 11:22, and MSU later stretched the lead to 39-29 on Demings' steal, fast-break layup and free throw with 3:11 left. The Mountain Lions scored the final six points of the half, including a Josh Kotto dunk and a Shawn Williams layup, but the Mustangs went to halftime ahead 39-35.
MSU built on its halftime lead early in the second half, using a stretch that included a
Theo Grant 3-pointer, Kirkwood free throw and
Vonte Sanders' 3-pointer, steal and dunk to move ahead 50-42. The Mountain Lions kept answering from the perimeter, but
Levi Rutledge hit two 3-pointers during the next stretch, the second giving the Mustangs a 63-52 lead at 12:19. The Mountain Lions cut the margin to 65-62 on Brody Hull's 3-pointer and later pulled even at 76-76 on a Shawn Williams dunk with 1:33 left after MSU had gone back up 76-71 on Demings' layup.
Josh Telfort came up with a steal at :35, and after Gunner Morinini's layup put the Mountain Lions ahead 78-76 with six seconds left, Kirkwood hit a 3-pointer at :03 to give the Mustangs a 79-78 win.
Cyrus Shaw scored a team-high 17 points and converted six free throws. Demings added 10 points and recorded three assists. Sanders finished with eight points, two steals and one block.
Kadon Jackson collected a team-high seven rebounds and added six points.
Up next, the Mustangs host Southern Nazarene on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas.
