The Grizzlies (6-2, 1-1 RMAC) tallied a split on their opening weekend of conference play, and currently sit sixth in the league standings behind four with 2-0 league marks and a 1-0 Colorado Christian squad.
On Friday, the Grizzlies were back at Massari Arena in Pueblo, Colo. where they'd posted a 2-0 record the previous weekend at the Chuck Stephens Classic. The Grizzlies seemed to be in control late, and looked as if they were about to record their road victory of the ThunderWolves since 2000, but a 10-point lead with 3:36 to play vanished, and ASC suffered a 60-59 defeat as Rachel Espinoza sank a layup with 6.6 seconds remaining for the winning basket. Adams State was plagued by an inability to get to the free throw line in the game, getting just 13 attempts from the charity stripe and hitting five, and turnovers as the Grizzlies gave the ball away 27 times in the game.
But ASC managed to turn momentum around and take a convincing victory over the Mountain Lions in Colorado Springs on Saturday. Senior Kendra Coveal (Albuquerque, N.M.) and junior Kelsie Kruger (Alamosa, Colo.) each recorded double-doubles. For Coveal, it was her third of the season, which ranks tied for second in the RMAC, and 11th of her career. After leading by just one at the break, Adams State took control in the second half and cruised to a 76-61 victory.
Senior Vera Jo Bustos (Las Vegas, N.M.) hit a pair of career milestones over the weekend to go along with the three ASC records she set the weekend prior. Against CSU-Pueblo, Bustos tallied six rebounds to raise her career mark to 500 boards, and in Saturday's contest she hit six 3-pointers (the third time this season that she's hit at least that many) to bring her career total 200 made triples.
As a team, the Grizzlies lead the conference in defensive rebounds as they average 32.4 per game, led by Kruger who ranks third in the RMAC individually with 46 defensive rebounds this season (5.8 per game), 13 of which she grabbed during the Grizzlies win over UCCS.
Bustos is ranked third in the league in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per contest, and the Grizzlies rank third as a team in scoring offense, putting up 74.2 points per game. Adams State is also third in the league in scoring margin at +12.5 points. In addition, Bustos currently leads the league in 3-point field goals made, having hit 26 (3.3 per game) shots from beyond the arc.
Kruger's 59.0 percent (36-of-61) shooting from the field currently ranks fourth in the league, and as a team the Grizzlies rank second with a 46.7 percent (216-of-463) mark.
Adams State, which was picked to win the RMAC in the league's preseason poll while garnering six first-place votes, will face Fort Lewis on Saturday, Dec. 11. The Skyhawks, currently ranked No. 3 in the most recent Women's Basketball Coache's Association (WBCA) USA Today/ESPN Division II poll, were picked to finish second in the league and received an equal number of first-place votes.
Fort Lewis is 7-0 this season and recorded a pair of victories to open their conference slate, topping UC-Colorado Springs on Firday, 79-69, and recording an 82-53 win over CSU-Pueblo on Saturday.
Tip-off between the Grizzlies and Skyhawks is set for 5:30 p.m. in Whalen Gymnasium. Fans who can't make the trip to Durango to cheer on the Grizzlies can catch the action on the web via live stats by clicking here, by listening to a live broadcast at www.kspk.com or by watching the game on AmericaOne (formerly B2 TV). Information on ordering single-game and season viewing passes can be found here.
Visit ascgrizzlies.com for the latest news and info on Adams State College Athletics.
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