ALAMOSA, Colo. - The Adams State University Men's Basketball team played in its first exhibition game of the season Thursday night in Plachy Hall against the Colorado College Tigers. The Grizzlies rallied late in the second half to take the contest 87-77.

The game got off to a quick start in the Grizzlies favor as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead off a pair of layups from Szymon Walczak and John Dewey, respectively. The Tigers answered with a 6-0 run to grab a 6-4 lead with 16:58 on the clock and from then on the two teams traded buckets the rest of the half. In the first 20 minutes of action there were six ties and 11 lead changes.

Colorado College and Adams State never led by more than four points in the first half. After trailing 10-6 with 16:21 to play, the Grizzlies retook the lead as Justice Augmon ripped off five straight points on a made layup and a triple. Rickey Norris then pushed the lead to 12-10 after going 1-2 at the charity strip with 14:59 to play in the first frame.

Both teams continued to trade shots and at the halfway mark of the opening half, Adams State held a slim 21-20 edge. Walczak scored back-to-back layups to give the Grizzlies the one point lead and exactly 25 seconds later, Shemar Johnson made his presence know with a quick steal at mid court to led to a breakaway dunk to bring the score to 23-20. The Tigers quickly responded with a transition three from Sam Kinney that tied the game, 23-23, with 9:22 on the clock.

Both teams continued to fight for control of not only the game lead but also the tempo and pace but neither ever establish a consistent rhythm to get control. Going into the break after trading buckets, the Tigers held a slim 39-38 lead over the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies showed strength inside the paint scoring 26 of their 38 points there, but the Tigers bench came alive with 22 points to keep things interesting.

Coming out of halftime, Colorado College found an early grove that help them establish a nine-point lead within the first four minutes of play. A 15-7 run by the Tigers gave them a 54-45 lead with 15:35 to play in the game. The Grizzlies tried to respond but did not have an answer and the Tigers capitalized one their offensive struggles with a 10-2 run that gave them a commanding 14-point lead, 61-47, with 13:14 to play.

Despite being down double-digits, the Grizzlies offense started to click at the midway point of the half. Norris scored a layup at the 9:45 mark which sparked a 12-0 run and tied the game at 66-all with 7:42 to play. In the run that lasted 2:09, Johnson was a force that sparked the Grizzlies as he scored six of their 12 points in that span. Norris added four while Dewey chipped in the final two.

The Tigers pushed their lead back to five thanks in part to four made free throws from CooXooEii Black. As fouls began to rack up for the Tigers, the Grizzlies seized the opportunity and chipped into the lead with the help of the free throw line. The Grizzlies tied the game at 73-73 with 4:29 remaining in the game and from then on they controlled the rest of the contest.

A 15-4 run to close out the game by Adams State proved to be too much for Colorado College to handle. The visitors four points did not come until the final 1:26 of play as Johnson and Walczak combined for 11 of the Grizzlies final 15 points to seal to the contest at 87-77.

Four Grizzlies finished the night in double-figures led by Johnson's double-double. He scored 16 points on 5-10 shooting, pulled in 11 boards, and tallied three steals to go along with a blocked shot. Walczak was the top scorer with 18 points on an 8-15 shooting performance. He also tallied a pair of assists and had a blocked shot. Dewey and Norris rounded out the double-digit scoring with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Dewey also notched a game-high six assists, while Norris added a pair of steals and blocked shots.

As a team, Adams State finished 31-66 from the floor for 47% shooting. Defensively, they held Colorado College to 42.1% shooting on 24-57 made buckets. The Grizzlies won the points in the paint battle, 52-18, and also had 22 fast break points while holding the Tigers to just six. 

Black was the Tigers top-scorer as he finished with a game-high 20 points while shooting 4-12 from the floor. He did most of his damage at the free throw line going 11-12 for the night. Kinney was the only other double-figure scorer with 12 points. He also had four rebounds on the night.

The next time the Grizzlies step on the court the game will be for real. They will be home next Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9 and 10. The Grizzlies will host UT Permian Basin on Friday and No. 4 West Texas A&M on Saturday. Tip-off for both games is set for 7 p.m.