RANGELY, Colo. – The Colorado Northwestern men's basketball team opened its 2023-24 campaign last week by going 3-0 with home wins against Jump Start Academy, Utah Prep, Adams State's junior varsity.
 
Regular season action began Wednesday, Nov. 1, inside Hefley Gym with the Spartans taking down Jump Start with an 89-64 victory. Stout, first-half defense by CNCC held the opposition to just 4-of-33 from the floor and only 16 points. In the second half, the Spartans' offense exploded for 50 points to run away with the win and a 1-0 start. Sophomore AJ Creech was tops on the team in scoring as he went 6-of-9 from the floor including a 4-for-4 mark from three-point range. Creech also went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Additional, key contributions came from sophomore Jude Ballstaedt and freshman Tyler Christensen. Ballstaedt poured in 15 points thanks to a trio of triples. Christensen tallied a double-double in his collegiate debut thanks to 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Colorado Northwestern continued opening week on Thursday, squaring off against Utah Prep. The result was a 91-70 win for the Spartans. A balanced effort by CNCC saw the home team score 45 points in the first half with 46 more in the second half. The Spartans also forced 20 turnovers while holding Utah Prep to just 25-percent from behind the three-point arc. Individually, Christensen had another big night thanks to 22 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Cole Johnson added 21 points and Sophomore Pablo Torres chipped in 19 points.
 
The Spartans rounded out their 3-0 start on Saturday by edging Adams State JV, 84-81. A slow start to CNCC's third game in four days saw the home team trail by as many as 12 points in the opening 20 minutes. However, the Spartans rallied behind 19 first-half points from Christensen along with a combined 15 points off the hands of Ballstaedt and freshman Mitch Jeppesen. That outburst sent Colorado Northwestern to the locker room trailing by only one point. A back-and-forth second half made things exciting for the fans. But in the end, Christensen drained a three-pointer to cap a 33-point day and that pushed CNCC ahead for good.
 
Colorado Northwestern men's basketball continues its season this weekend at home with a pair of games against Air Force Prep. The first contest is Friday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. The same teams face off Saturday, at 1 p.m. Both games are on campus at Hefley Gym.

Fans can keep up with CNCC men's basketball on social media at @CnccMbb on "X" (formerly Twitter), at cncc_mbb on Instagram, and on Facebook by searching "CNCC Men's Basketball."