CHADRON, Neb. -- December 9, 2016 -- Chadron State College men's basketball got in the win column Friday night at home in the Chicoine Center, giving first-year head men's basketball coach Houston Reed win No. 1 as an Eagle.

CSC ran out to a 17-0 lead in the first half, led by as many as 20, and led by 13 at the half. However the Mountain Lions clawed back into the game in the second half, pushing Chadron State to overtime on their home floor. The energy in Chicoine paid off - the Eagles scored 8 of the last 10 points down the stretch to close things out in the extra period.

"I'm really happy for our guys," said Reed. "They've been working their tail off. People don't see behind closed doors, but we've been telling them to keep doing the right things, and they'll get a win. These guys deserve a win because of how hard they've worked."

Chadron State's 17-0 start was their largest to start a game this season. The Eagles got eight points in that run from Warren Gordon, who finished with 20. He started the night 4-for-4 from the field, and also had multiple steals during the early going. Myles Busby hit on his first two shots near the basket, and added a free throw on a three-point play. Michael Johnson added two field goals to help the team rout the traditional RMAC power in the first five minutes of the game.

Both the true freshman Johnson, and Matt Reader, now in his second full week of practice, saw their first starts of the season against the Mountain Lions.

The Eagles got out of offensive rhythm in the second half, and saw their first half shooting of 51.5 percent dwindle to 30.4 percent in the second as the opponent went into full court press and denied easy drives to the basket. CSC, who hit 6-of-9 from three-point range in the first half, only connected on two of nine long-range shots in the second.

The Mountain Lions tied the game up for the first time all evening with just 1:16 left to play, in a second half which saw UCCS sophomore guard Jay Crawford come off the bench to score all nine of his points on the evening.

The Eagles, who entered overtime in the double-bonus, drew six more fouls over the course of five minutes, to send their shooters to the line 10 times. There, they sent eight shots through the basket and closed out the game, 75-71

"We played with the mindset to win," said Reed, "instead of 'not to lose'. That was the difference between tonight and our other overtime game."

Gordon's 20 points led both teams. He and Darius Polley each accounted for four steals.

Polley and Busby each had nine points, while Johnson and Austin Hall each contributed eight.

Chadron State will play again on Saturday at approximately 7:30 p.m., when another traditional power, Metropolitan State University of Denver, visits.
 

Scoring Summary	1	2	OT	F
UC Colorado Springs	29	36	6	71
Chadron State	42	23	10	75