ALAMOSA, Colorado — The Grizzlies win their fourth straight game against Colorado Christian University, moving them to a record of 15-5(9-1 RMAC). The win keeps them in second place in the RMAC standings, as they were able to take today's win by a final score of 60-55. The Grizzlies will look to continue this strong play, as they gear up for their conference games next week.
Diving into today's game, the Grizzlies outstanding defense set the tone allowing their offense to take control of the game late. The Grizzly defense today was truly outstanding, as they were not only able to hold Colorado Christian to 55 points, but they forced 26 Colorado Christian turnovers. Of these 26 turnovers, 13 led to steals by the Grizzlies which allowed them to play fast leading to 9 fastbreak points and 15 points off of turnovers. The Grizzlies stellar defense was no surprise as strong defense and constant pressure has been a staple of this year's Grizzly team. Leading the way on the defensive side was Elaina Watson who collected 6 steals in tonight's game to lead the Grizzly defensive charge. Alongside Watson was Taejhuan Hill who finished the night with 3 steals. Mia Ervin was not far behind as she finished with 2 steals on the night. Between the three women, they collected 11 of the Grizzlies 13 steals which set the tone and made it a miserable night for the Colorado Christian offense.
Offensively for the Grizzlies, they had a tough night. Ultimately, it did not matter as their defense was just that good tonight. On the night the Grizzlies were only able to shoot 30.9% from the floor and 21.4% from behind the 3-point line. They also struggled to make their free throws, finishing the night 12-21. With the poor shooting performance the game stayed close throughout with the Grizzlies pulling away late for the 5 point home victory.
Individually on the offensive side of the ball, the Grizzlies were led by Kiiyani Anitielu who finished the night with 26 points on 10-19 shooting. Anitielu also made 4 of her 9 3-point attempts, while making 2 of her 7 free throws. Overall, Anitielu was a true offensive force for a Grizzly offense that was up and down in tonight's win.
For Anitielu, tonight's game was her third game scoring over 20 points during their four game winning streak. She is currently leading the Grizzlies in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game through the first 20 games of the season. Anitielu will look to continue this hot streak offensively as the Grizzlies will look to continue to win games down the stretch.
Outside of Anitielu, Hill had a solid night finishing with 10 points on 5-11 shooting from the floor. Hill also collected 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals to give her an all-around solid performance. Between Hill and Anitielu the two women scored 36 of the Grizzlies 60 points and were the only two women in tonight's game that eclipsed double-digit points on the night. Both Watson and Kya Blakley were close to double-digits with Watson finishing with 9 points and Blakley finishing with 8.
Up next for the Grizzlies will be a game next Thursday, January 29th against Regis University. The game will again be held here in Alamosa, Colorado, with tipoff happening at 5:30 PM MST at Plachy Hall. The Grizzly women will look to continue their great play next Thursday as they seek to keep control of second in conference, while also winning their fifth straight game. Come out to support the Grizzlies next Thursday, here at Plachy Hall.
