Men's Basketball
Jackson’s Layup Lifts Billings in Final Seconds
November 18, 2009 – DaVell Jackson’s 17th point of the game came at an opportune time for Montana State-Billings, as the senior guard converted a layup with four seconds remaining to lift the Yellowjackets to a 72-70 win over the CCU men’s basketball team Wednesday evening in Billings, Montana.
Leading 41-35 at the break, the Yellowjackets managed to increase the margin to as many as nine points midway through the final period.
With time beginning to run short, the Cougars cut the lead down to five on a Jobi Wall jumper at the three minute mark.
Following a blown layup on the Billings end, the CCU long-balls began to finally find their mark, as Rye Olson downed a trey with 1:19 showing to bring the Cougars to within one point.
A Yellowjacket jumper on the other end increased the margin back to four, but this time it was Wall dialing long distance to bring the Cougars back to within one with 49 ticks to go.
Not to be outdone, Billings managed to convert two at the freebie stitch on the ensuing possession, before yet another Wall trifecta silenced the crowd and knotted the action up at 70 each with 19 seconds on the clock.
19 seconds was just a little too much time to hold down a potent Yellowjacket offense however, as Jackson was able to break free for the game winner with time winding down.
Justin Neuhaus once again led the way for CCU with 19 points, six rebounds and one blocked shot.
Wall added 19 and seven, while shooting a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe.
Olson finished the duel with 18 points, including a red-hot 6-11 effort from downtown.
Jackson’s 17 proved to be a team-high for Billings, with Derrick Wright tacking on 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the victory.
With the setback, the Cougars drop to 0-2 on the season and are back in action this Saturday as they travel to Pocatello, Idaho to face the Idaho State Bengals at 1:05 p.m.
Late Run Lifts Montana State over Cougars 68-58
November 17, 2009 – The Montana State Bobcats used a 10-4 run late in the second half to gain a little breathing room and eventually hold off a gritty CCU men’s basketball team 68-58 at Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Montana.
CCU’s powerful pair of post performers tipped the season off in style, as Justin Neuhaus logged a team-best 19 points and two blocks, while Jobi Wall tacked on 13 points, three rebounds and two assists in the loss.
The Cougars jumped out to an early six point lead over the Division I Bobcats, and went into intermission trailing by only three points (32-35), following a see-saw first half battle that featured eight lead changes and seven ties.
Heading out for the final 20 minutes, CCU managed to cut the deficit back down to two points on a handful of occasions, before five buckets over seven possessions finally allowed the Bobcats to gain some space and extend the margin to10 with eight minutes showing.
From that point on, the closest the Cougars could claw back would be seven points, as the hosts eventually escaped with the 10 point decision.
MSU’s Erik Rush led all players with 25 points to go with six boards, while shooting a nifty 8-11 from the floor.
CCU’s Abram Ziemer came off the bench to add 11 points on a 3-8 shooting display from deep.
The Cougars are right back in action tomorrow evening as they square off against Montana State-Billings at 7:30 p.m.
Division I Weber State Holds off Cougars in Exhibition
November 7, 2009—The Weber State Wildcats had their hands full with a feisty CCU men’s basketball team Saturday evening, recovering from a half time deficit to pull out a 75-65 exhibition win over the Cougars at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah.
Some stifling Cougar defense forced Weber to shoot a chilly 12-31 from the field in the first half, while super-sophomore Jobi Wall, lit the Wildcats up for a 4-6 display from downtown.
Trailing 31-32 at intermission, Weber was able to use a 17-5 second half run to pull ahead and eventually escape with the hard-fought 10 point decision.
CCU committed 21 turnovers on the contest, but out-rebounded the Wildcats 37-29.
Justin Neuhaus led the way for the Cougars with a game-best 22 points, to go with nine rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.
Held scoreless in the second stanza, Wall finished with 12 points and nine rebounds for CCU.
Abram Ziemer got his Cougar career started in style, scoring 14 points in 26 minutes of action.
With the brief exhibition season behind them, CCU now looks ahead to the regular season opener on November 17 at Montana State University. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Cougars Picked Second, Neuhaus All-RMAC in Preseason Polls
October 29, 2009 – The CCU men’s basketball team has been picked second in the RMAC East Division 2009 preseason poll, while 6-11 senior Justin Neuhaus, was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and the unanimous RMAC Divisional Player of the Year.
The Cougars are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, as the men collected a team-record 21 wins in 2008-09, while advancing all the way to the RMAC semi-finals and the NCCAA National Tournament.
Despite the loss of three key players from last year’s roster, the men return the lethal outside shooting combo of Rye Olson and Tyler House, while 6’7” forward Jobi Wall will help Neuhaus maintain order in the paint.
Heading into the season with tall expectations, Neuhaus has now nabbed his third-consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Award and is CCU’s first unanimous Preseason All-East selection since Brian Stamer received the nod in 2007.
With four Division I foes on the early-season slate, this year’s Cougars squad will waste no time putting their talent to the test. Don’t miss a minute of the excitement as the 2009-10 campaign gets underway on November 7, when the Cougars make the trek to Ogden, Utah to battle the Weber State Wildcats at 7:00 p.m.
Men’s and Women’s Basketball to Add JV Program
April 29, 2009—The Colorado Christian University Athletic Department is pleased to announce that the men’s and women’s basketball teams will be adding a junior varsity program which is set to begin in the upcoming 2009-2010 year of competition.
Each program will carry 10-12 additional players and will compete primarily against regional junior college teams. Athletic scholarship money will be available for athletes who qualify, in addition to an automatic $1000 CCU scholarship for students who enroll from partner high schools.
CCU’s junior varsity program provides a great opportunity for players to enjoy the full collegiate athletic experience, with the potential to develop skills and progress to the varsity ranks.
For more information, please contact Brandon Nicol at bnicol@ccu.edu or 303-963-3192.
Cougars Secure Third Place with Win over Northwestern
March 21, 2009—The CCU men’s basketball team ended the season in style, scoring an 82-70 (box score) win over Northwestern College in the third place game of the NCCAA National Tournament.
Three players reached double-digit scoring for the Cougars, led by Justin Neuhaus, who logged 21 points on 8-11 shooting, to go with eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
Brendan Puckett ended his college career with a bang, erupting for a game-best 22 points, while connecting on all four of his attempts from downtown.
Not to be outdone, Jobi Wall punctuated his freshman season with 20 points and seven rebounds, including a nifty 4-8 showing from the land of plenty.
The hot-shooting Cougar squad led by five at the half (42-37) and increased the margin to as many as 14 in the final 20 minutes. As a team, CCU connected on 59% of their field goal attempts, including a sizzling 55% effort from beyond the arc.
With the victory, the Cougars finish the season at 21-13, and put an exclamation point on a strong season that included an RMAC final four appearance and top-three finish in the NCCAA finals.
Cougars Stumble to 44-61 loss in NCCAA Semi’s
March 20, 2009—The CCU men’s basketball team shot their way out of the NCCAA tournament Friday night, hitting only 30% of their field goal attempts, 21% of their three point try’s and 64% of their free throw shots in a 44-61 (box score) loss to Nyack College in the NCCAA semi finals.
Brendan Puckett led the men with 14 points and six boards, while Justin Neuhaus chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.
CCU fell behind 32-21 at the half and just couldn’t get anything going after the break, trailing by as many as 18 in the second stanza of action.
The Cougars are back in action tomorrow evening as they square off against the Northwestern Eagles for the NCCAA third place game. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. local time.
Strong Second Half Propels Cougars to NCCAA Semi Finals
March 19, 2009—The CCU men’s basketball team outraced the Oakland City Mighty Oaks by 14 points in the second half, and cruised to an 81-61 (box score) victory over the hosts in round one of the NCCAA National Championship Thursday night in Oakland City, Indiana.
Four players notched double digits for the Cougars, led by Justin Neuhaus, who posted 20 points on 8-13 shooting, while finding the time to block five shots in the Cougar win.
CCU held a 34-28 advantage at the break, and used an 11-4 run midway through the contest to break the game wide open.
The men extended the margin to 16 points (72-56) by the four minute mark thanks to a Jobi Wall jumper, and eventually increased the advantage to as many as 22 (81-59) with just under two minutes to go on a Ryan Holocher long ball.
Brendan Puckett added 19 points and six rebounds for the Cougars, including an efficient 3-5 effort from beyond the arc.
Wall tacked on 15 points and a team-best seven rebounds, while Nick Fisher got saucy to the tune of 10 points and a game-high nine assists in 30 minutes of action.
With the victory, head coach Dave Daniels and the rest of the Cougars have tallied their first 20 win season in program history.
One step closer to the ultimate goal, the men are back in action tomorrow evening when they square off against Nyack College in the NCCAA semi final. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. local time.
NCCAA Brackets Set, Cougars #1 Seed
March 16, 2009—Fresh off a central region championship, the CCU men’s basketball team has been recently named the #1 seed in the NCCAA national championship bracket.
The Cougars are only three wins away from their first-ever NCCAA national title and will tip-off the action against #8 Oakland City University in round one this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in Oakland City, Indiana.
Stay up to date on all of this weekend’s excitement, by clicking here to access the official tournament website!
Cougars Oust Central Baptist, Capture Regional Crown
March 14, 2009—The CCU men’s basketball team overcame some poor shooting and the lack of two seniors to post a 67-59 (box score) victory over Central Baptist in the NCCAA Regional Championship game Saturday afternoon in McPherson, Kansas.
Brendan Puckett led CCU with 18 points, while Jobi Wall notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Justin Neuhaus added 17 points and eight boards in the Cougar victory.
CCU shot a less than stellar 37% on the game, including a cool 23% effort from deep, but held a 40-32 advantage on the boards while outscoring Central Baptist by five points in the second half.
The Cougars now set their sights on the NCCAA national finals, which will take place next weekend at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana.
Times and schedules will be posted when available.
Cougars Dismiss SW Assemblies in Regional Semi
March 13, 2009—The drive for an NCCAA national title remains alive, as the CCU men’s basketball team downed Southwest Assemblies 83-63 (box score) Friday night in the regional semifinals in McPherson, Kansas.
Jobi Wall led the way for CCU with 23 points on 5-12 shooting from beyond the arc.
Justin Neuhaus added 17 points for the Cougars, while Brendan Puckett logged 12 points in the win.
As a team, CCU shot 14-36 from the land of plenty and 17-25 from the charity stripe.
The Cougars are back in action tomorrow afternoon in the regional final game, when they square off against Central Baptist at 2:00 p.m. Click here for a live audio feed of the action!
Skyhawks Out-Duel Cougars in RMAC Semi Final
March 6, 2009—Kirk Archibeque erupted for 36 points and nine rebounds to lead the RMAC’s third seeded Fort Lewis Skyhawks to a 92-79 (box score) victory over the CCU men’s basketball team in RMAC semi final action at the State Fairground Event Center in Pueblo, Colorado.
The Cougars went into the break clinging to a 41-39 lead, but just couldn’t contain a talented Fort Lewis team for another 20 minutes, as the Skyhawks outscored CCU 53-38 in the final stanza.
Fort Lewis marched out to a six point lead early in the second half, before consecutive three’s by Tyler House and Brendan Puckett put the Cougars back in business with the score tied up at 57 each.
Jordan Brooks answered right back for the Skyhawks on the ensuing possession, knocking down a trey that would spark a 12-2 run and all but put the game in the bag for Fort Lewis.
The Skyhawks eventually pushed the margin to as many as 16 by the six minute mark, and held on for the 13 point victory.
CCU’s Jordan Long led a cast of five Cougars who finished in double-digits, scoring a team-high 22 points on 9-14 shooting.
House added 14 points, while connecting on 2-4 of his three point attempts in the CCU loss.
The Cougars shot a mild 46% for the game, including a 37% clip from downtown, while the Archibeque-led Skyhawks out-rebounded CCU 39-34, including a decisive 18-13 advantage on the offensive glass.
With the loss, CCU is eliminated from the RMAC post season, and now sets their sights on an NCCAA National Title. The NCCAA regional playoffs will begin next weekend at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kansas.
Stay tuned to the CCU website, as game times and matchups will be announced this upcoming week.
Cougars Stun #2 Highlands in Playoff Thriller
March 3, 2009—Peter Bailey knocked down one of the biggest shots of his career with eight seconds left, capping a late Cougar three point barrage, and propelling the men to the RMAC Final Four thanks to an incredible 86-83 (box score) victory over the #2 seeded New Mexico Highlands Cowboys Tuesday night in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
In a game that featured an electric atmosphere, a jam packed arena, a second half comeback and just about everything else you could ask for in playoff basketball, the Cougars flat-out willed themselves to a three point decision over a Highlands team that entered the contest with a 20-7 overall record.
Trailing 46-35 at the half, the Cougars slowly whittled the Cowboy advantage down to three points on two occasions, before eventually forging the first tie of the game when Bailey converted a three point play with 10 minutes remaining.
The hosts seemed to have an answer for every Cougar run however, and managed to pull back ahead by five thanks to a Chris Dunn dunk, and a Roman Andrade trey on consecutive possessions.
Just when the Cowboys looked to be back in control, Justin Neuhaus silenced the deafening home crowd when he converted a monster jam off of a Jordan Long lob pass while drawing the foul.
CCU was eventually able to pull ahead by three points when Long got his defender in the air, and downed a leaning bank shot at the 3:18 mark.
Less than 20 seconds later, Highlands was back in business thanks to a series of three free throws that knotted the contest up for the fourth time in seven minutes.
The final minute and a half was a see-saw battle, as a Neuhaus layup on one end was answered with a Highlands three point connection on the other end. Trailing by one, Long answered right back with a clutch three that put CCU back in the lead.
Highlands tied it up again on some freebies, before Tyler House drained a second-straight Cougar three with 36 ticks showing.
Not to be outdone, Roman Andrade then sliced to the rim for Highlands, converting the layup and completing a three point play for the games sixth tie with the clock down to 24 seconds.
24 seconds was more than enough time to be a hero however, as CCU’s all-time leading three-point shooter found an open look with time winding down and calmly drained the shot that would send the Cougars to their second straight RMAC semi-final appearance.
Neuhaus led the way for CCU with 23 points on 6-8 shooting to go with four blocked shots.
Five other Cougars reached double-digits, as Brendan Puckett notched 16 points on 5-8 shooting, Long finished with 13, Jobi Wall tacked on 11, while House and Bailey each chipped in 10.
NMHU’s Andrade led all scorers with 28 points while shooting 9-25 from floor, inhaling six rebounds and doling out four assists.
The Cougars are now winners of four straight and look to keep the streak alive as they square off against Fort Lewis this Friday at 8:00 p.m. at the State Fairgrounds Event Center in Pueblo, Colorado.
Neuhaus Named Defensive Player of the Year, Long, Puckett All RMAC
March 4, 2009—The postseason awards are in and CCU’s 6-11 man in the middle, Justin Neuhaus, has been named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and RMAC East First Team, while guards Brendan Puckett and Jordan Long were selected to the RMAC East Second Team.
Only a junior, Neuhaus is averaging 15 points and six rebounds per game, has blocked 66 shots on the year and moved into first place all-time in the Cougar record books with 168 career blocks.
Brendan Puckett had another strong year for the men, averaging 13 points and four rebounds per contest, while starting all 28 games and hitting a respectable 41% of his attempts from downtown.
Not to be outdone, Long leads the Cougars with 154 combined assists and ranks second overall in the RMAC with 5.70 dimes per outing.
All RMAC postseason honors were selected by conference coaches. Click here for the entire release.
Neuhaus Named RMAC Player of the Week
March 2, 2009—Coming off the best back-to-back weekend of his career, Justin Neuhaus of the CCU men’s basketball team has been named RMAC Player of the Week.
The 6’11”Neuhaus led the Cougars to two home wins this past weekend, unleashing for a career-high 37 points on an incredible 15-16 shooting display, while pulling down eight rebounds and blocking three shots against Nebraska-Kearney.
The following evening, Neuhaus tallied a team-high 22 points to go with five boards and five blocks in a convincing 83-65 win over Chadron State.
Over the weekend, Justin averaged 29.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and four blocks, while shooting 82% from the floor.
Neuhaus and the rest of the Cougars are back in action Tuesday night, when they face the RMAC’s second seeded New Mexico Highlands Cowboys in round one of the conference tournament in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Rye Olson
Men's Basketball
Why CCU?
I chose to attend CCU because of the school’s emphasis on living out your faith. CCU is not just Christian by name, but Christ is literally a part of everyday life here. Coach Daniels played a big role in my decision to ...
