ThunderWolves rely on strong guard play in win.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Nov. 25, 2011) - Led by a strong perimeter game, CSU-Pueblo held off a fiesty Dixie State team Friday, outlasting the Red Storm 53-49 in the Pack's first game at the Colorado Mesa Clarion Inn Classic.

The ThunderWolves picked themselves up after a very lackluster first half in which both teams struggled to score points to eventually establish a nearly insurmountable advantage that it would ride to victory.

After a ugly six-minute span in the first half in which neither team could score a field goal, CSU-Pueblo held a tenuous 13-12 lead at the 6:38 mark.  Dixie would quickly take the lead back, but with nearly three minutes remaining, Andre Martin (Sr., San Diego, Calif.) hit a three-pointer to give CSU-Pueblo an 18-17 lead, tipping off a 15-0 CSU-Pueblo run that would extend into the second half and effectively bury the Red Storm for good.

The key during the run was the hot streaks put up by backcourt players Ty Trahern (Sr., Kit Carson, Colo.) and Ryan Arel (Jr., Shawnee, Kan.), combining for 12 points during the surge.  Trahern would finish with 11 points and four steals while Arel had a team-high 12 points.

The ThunderWolves led by as much as 16 in the second half, but saw Dixie pull to within two, 46-44, at the 4:17 mark.  But as was the case at the close of the first half, Martin again came up big with a three-pointer, sinking a trey at the 1:39 mark to put the Pack up for good.

CSU-Pueblo has one more showdown in Grand Junction - against NAIA Southern Virginia - Saturday at 3 p.m.