Box Score COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 13, 2015) – Regional power Colorado-Colorado Springs used a 19-2 run to open the second half to break open a tight game and beat Oklahoma Christian 80-60 at Gallogly Events Center on Friday night in the season opener for both teams in the Heartland-RMAC Challenge.

UCCS (1-0) made the NCAA Division II tournament last year and entered the basketball season ranked fifth in the South Central Region rankings. OC, facing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe for the first time and making its Division II debut, led only briefly in the early minutes but kept the game close until halftime before UCCS pulled away.

OC (0-1) struggled shooting, hitting just 37.3 percent from the field (22 of 59) and 22.2 percent from 3-point range (4 of 18). Sarah Parker went 5-of-6, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to lead the Lady Eagles with 16 points, but only one other OC player, reached double figures in scoring – Sydney Hill, with 10 points. Jasmine Hinton added eight points and a career-high five steals for OC.

Parker opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers, with the second one giving the Lady Eagles their last lead at 6-5. The Mountain Lions scored the next 10 points to take a nine-point lead, but OC sliced that margin to 21-20 after a jumper by Hannah Holasek at the 6:59 mark of the second quarter. A layup by Audrey Hayes pulled OC within 35-32 at halftime.

OC went 1-of-7 from the field with five turnovers in the first five minutes of the third quarter, allowing the Mountain Lions to extend their lead to 20 points. UCCS led by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter.

Brittany Hernandez led UCCS with 22 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Jen Vigil had 12 points and Tori Fisher had 10 points and eight rebounds. Shannon Kelly had eight points and 10 rebounds for the Mountain Lions.

OC's second game in the Heartland-RMAC Challenge will be Saturday afternoon at Regis (Colo.).