Pack senior turns in dominant double-double in 78-68 win.
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Dec. 9, 2011) - All season long, CSU-Pueblo coach Ralph Turner was challenging arguably the Pack's most exciting player, Andre Martin (Sr., San Diego, Calif.), to step his game up if he wanted to make the most of his final season on the hardwood.
Friday, Martin proved to his coach he was ready for such a challenge.
The CSU-Pueblo senior turned in his best collegiate game, going for 23 points and 13 rebounds as the Pack cruised past Colorado Christian 78-68.
Martin was continually a force inside, going up for two dunks and pounding the glass with authority, helping CSU-Pueblo out-rebound the Cougars 38-27.
"Coach told me to put the team on my back," Martin said. "He has been on me all year to have a breakout."
The ThunderWolves certainly followed Martin's lead, as it had to contend with a Colorado Christian squad that shot 46 percent from the field and sank 12 three-pointers. But it maintained control by forcing fouls, getting 27 out of the Cougars compared to just 17 by CSU-Pueblo, and turned those mistakes into points.
The ThunderWolves were a highly-efficient 28-for-34 from the free-throw line, dwarfing the 10-for-20 number turned in by the Cougars, which more than made up for the gap between the teams in the final boxscore. The Pack was also helped by a game-changing 15-0 run in the first half that turned a 23-21 game into a 38-21 ThunderWolf advantage.
In addition to Martin's double-double, the Pack was also lifted by a career-high 16 points by Bryse Velasquez (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) and 15 points by Arden Dennis (Jr., Aurora, Colo.).
CSU-Pueblo has a big test in front of it Saturday when it takes on the 7th-ranked team in the nation, Colorado School of Mines, in Golden. The ThunderWolves will be seeking its first ever win over a top ten opponent since becoming a Division II school in 1990.
