ALAMOSA, COLORADO — In a hard-fought back-and-forth contest, the Grizzlies fell short after a poor shooting performance at home against Chadron State, losing 91-86.

The Grizzlies (6-9, 1-6 RMAC)fought hard to the final buzzer, but a 9-33 night from behind the arc, and a 70% clip from the free throw made it tough for the Grizzlies to take a commanding lead late and close out the game. Led by Wyatt Helming and Ta'Veus Randle the Grizzlies' kept it close, even taking a late lead in the second half at a score of 68-66 after a Luke Williams layup. Wyatt Helming finished as the Grizzly leading scorer, finishing with 24, shooting 9-18 from the floor, and hitting five of his six free throws.

Chadron State (7-8, 3-4 RMAC)took an early lead in the first half, jumping out to a 13-point lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Eagles were led by Jalen Thomas and Zy Wright who scored 22 and 18 respectively. Jalen Thomas had an all-around good performance, collecting six rebounds and three steals with his 22 points. The Eagles finished strong to gain the win through a good night at the free throw line, only missing one all night, along with 33 fast break points.

Although the Grizzlies struggled shooting the basketball, they showed great team basketball by collecting 15 assists, 10 more than the Eagles, along with finishing with 41 team rebounds which included 13 offensive rebounds.

The Grizzlies will look to bounce back and collect their second conference win when they play again at home this Saturday, January 18th against South Dakota School of Mines.