Slow start too much for Grizzlies in Gunnison

Hanzlik records 16 and 10 to lead Grizzly effort

Sophomore Robby Hanzlik recorded his first double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, both game-highs.

Box Score

GUNNISON, Colo.— A vastly different start, the same result.

After hitting 11 of their first 12 shots in last Saturday’s 7-point heartbreaking home loss to Colorado State-Pueblo, the Adams State College men’s basketball team missed each of its first 14 shots from the field and took more than eight minutes to get on the scoreboard on Friday, a start that proved to be too much for the Grizzlies to overcome as they went down to defeat by a 7-point, 55-48 margin to arch-rival Western State College here in the Mountaineers Paul W. Wright Gymnasium.

The Grizzlies, who have now dropped eight straight overall, were held to a season-low 29.0 percent (18-62) from the effort as they slipped to 4-16 overall and to 1-11 in the RMAC.

The Mountaineers are now 5-14 overall and 2-10 in conference play as they won for the second straight game after starting the year 0-10 in the loop.

Grizzly sophomore Robby Hanzlik (Denver, Colo.) did lead the Grizzly effort as he scored a game-high 16 points while pulling down a career-high 10 rebounds to record his first double-double.

Dan Biber led the Mountaineers, who also struggled shooting the ball, with 13 points.

The Mountaineers shot just 38.0 percent (19-50) from the field and only led 7-0 despite the Grizzlies’ slow start, finally stopped by a Hanzlik bucket 8:20 into the first half.

The Grizzlies then came back to eventually tie the game at 14 and were down just 21-17 at the break despite hitting just 19.4 percent (6-31) of their first half shots.

The Mountaineers, who were just 6 of 27 (22.2 percent) from the field in the first half, then watched the Grizzlies come back to tie the game at 21 and again at 23 early in the second half before a Forrest Becker (Albuquerque, N.M.) 3-pointer gave the Grizzlies their first lead at the 16:56 mark.

After a Seth Heinbaugh (Prescott Valley, Ariz.) layup gave the Grizzlies a 28-25 lead moments later, Biber came back to tie the game with a 3-point play.

The Grizzlies then went up 30-28 on an Eric Miller dunk before Biber and Tyler Miller hit back-to-back 3-pointers putting the Mountaineers up for good.

Those bullets triggered a 20-8 run in which the Mountaineers hit four of their seven 3-pointers building a 48-38 lead with 6:15 left, a margin that proved too much for the Grizzlies to overcome.

The Grizzlies finished the night with 13 offensive rebounds, compared to WSC’s eight, and also were guilty of just 10 turnovers.

The Grizzlies will now continue what will amount to a 4-game road trip on Saturday night at No. 13 Mesa State, which improved to an 18-1 overall and to 12-0 in the RMAC with an 87-80 overtime win over Fort Lewis.

Tip-off in the Mavericks’ Brownson Arena is slated for 7 p.m. and can be heard live on KSPK-FM (104.1 in Alamosa) and via the internet.