LAKEWOOD, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Jan. 18, 2013) - Despite taking four minutes to score its first bucket, tremendously solid defense and an effective three ball powers the Pack to a 72-53 win over Colorado Christian Friday.

CSU-Pueblo struggled at the outset in a game that got off to a hideous start, not recording its first bucket, a J.J. Mina (Elk Grove, Calif.) three-pointer, until the 16:28 mark.  Luckily, Colorado Christian was just as hideous, scoring only one field goal before CSU-Pueblo put up its initial score.  After Mina's three, however, which gave the Pack a very exciting 3-2 lead, CSU-Pueblo never trailed again as the offense turned on and defense stayed nasty.

The Pack relied on the formula of putting up the three ball throughout the first half, and it paid off in spades as it quickly moved further and further away from Colorado Christian on the scoreboard.  Mina would add 10 more points in the half as the ThunderWolves made a total of five more threes in the half, cruising toward a 28-24 halftime advantage.

But CSU-Pueblo really pulled away in the second half, sinking six more threes en route to shooting a solid 37 percent from beyond the arc in all.  Defensively, the ThunderWolves protected the game on the glass, led by a double-double effort from Wendell Lee (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.), the first of his career, boasting 11 points and 11 rebounds, the latter a career high.  Another key for the Pack was its ability to create opportunities, evidenced by its 14 assists to just four for the Cougars.  Nate Tigner (Jr., Fort Worth, Texas) led the ThunderWolves with five dishes.

With its win, CSU-Pueblo, once considered quite down and out after a program-worst 2-9 start, has quietly strung together four wins in its past five games, posting its best record in any five game span in four seasons.  CSU-Pueblo will push for its fifth win in its past six when it travels to Golden Saturday night to take on Colorado School of Mines.