PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Dec. 7, 2012) - In Friday's matchup between CSU-Pueblo and rival Regis, something had to give.

The game pitted CSU-Pueblo's defense, a unit ranked 11th in the nation in shooting defense, against Regis' offense, which entered 10th in the nation in field goal percentage.  Defense, though, certainly ended up being the dominant force as CSU-Pueblo pushed the game to the perimeter, forcing Regis mistakes as it claimed a 61-43 win over the Rangers.

The first half played right into the Pack's wheel house as the Rangers never were able to consistently penetrate the ThunderWolf defense.  Regis shot just 23 percent in the half - not much worse the Pack's paltry 25 percent - but repeated drives to the bucket were simply turned away by CSU-Pueblo, resulting in 11 first-half turnovers and a 24-18 CSU-Pueblo lead at the break.

In the second half, CSU-Pueblo gained some separation by forcing Regis to flirt with shot clock violations on nearly every possession as the ThunderWolves began the half on a 17-4 run, going up 41-22 midway through the half.  The ThunderWolves protected its double-digit lead by relying on its considerable height advantage to dominate down low and tenacious guard play to force turnovers on the transition.

The most dominant ThunderWolf on the court was one of the players down low, Katie Nehf (So., Broomfield, Colo.), who recorded her third career double-double and set a career-high for points with 16.  She also logged a team-high four steals and added three assists just for good measure.  She paced a ThunderWolf effort that saw the Pack hold the Rangers to 27 percent shooting overall and just 18 points in the paint.

CSU-Pueblo, now 6-1, will get a huge test as it faces a Metro State squad that it hadn't beaten since 2010 as it attempts to take over sole possession of first place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.