RMAC Shootout Semifinal: Metro State 70, CSU-Pueblo 61

PUEBLO, Colo. - The CSU-Pueblo men's basketball team, playing in the RMAC Shootout semifinals for the second consecutive season, may have entertained visions of being a "team of destiny" following its emotional win at Mesa State in the RMAC quarterfinals Tuesday night.

But Metro State, the defending RMAC Shootout champions, demonstrated to the ThunderWolves Friday that they have no interest in laying down for any cosmic force, besting the ThunderWolves 70-61 and ending the Pack's season for the second consecutive year.

The ThunderWolves shot themselves in the foot early, not making long-range shots and committing costly turnovers.  CSU-Pueblo was just 3-for-14 from three-point range in the first half, part of their 10-for-27 (37 percent) shooting effort, falling behind early and trailing the Roadrunners 36-28 going into halftime. 

In the second half, CSU-Pueblo continued to be unable to make shots fall from beyond the arc, shooting just 1-for-12 from three-point land, and ceding many costly possessions to Metro State.  The Roadrunners responded in a way you'd expect from an defending conference champion - Metro State shot 45.8 percent from the floor, with all but one of its buckets coming down low.  All told, the Roadrunners were 26-for-51, or 51 percent, inside the arc.

The ThunderWolves' season was a positive one, though, as the Pack earned its most wins, 17, since 2003-04.  The Pack will lose a lot from this squad - three all-RMAC performers in Marc Williams (Sr., Seattle, Wash.), Roman Van Allen (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.) and Chris Busch (Sr., Oakland, Calif.), as well as point guard Dwayne Wright (Sr., Seattle, Calif.), post Imari Thomas (Sr., Compton, Calif.) and guard Ken Moses (Sr., Honolulu, Hawaii).