GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Nov. 30, 2013) - CSU-Pueblo turned a treacherous second half into a rousing comeback Saturday, going on a 15-4 run in the game's final minutes to defeat Montana Western 87-81.
CSU-Pueblo, despite carrying a 48-37 lead into halftime over a Montana Western team was the 8th-ranked NAIA team in the nation entering Saturday, quickly saw it disintegrate with MWU opened the second half on a 9-1 run.
At its worst, Montana Western would open up a lead of as much as eight points, 75-67, with just 5:29 remaining in the game. At that point, the ThunderWolves had mustered just 19 points in the half as Montana Western outscored the Pack 38-19.
But the fate of the game turned on a dime as a layup by Jed Knafelc (Sr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and a three by Devonte Malcolm (Jr., Sierra Vista, Ariz.) catapulted the Pack nearer to Montana Western, and suddenly, the game was a one-score contest.
CSU-Pueblo would go up for good with 3:48 left in the game as Matt Rosenbaum (Sr., Sidney, Neb.) buried a three-pointer to put the Pack up 78-77 and on the way toward victory.
After all was said and done, the Pack defense held Montana Western without a field goal for the final 6:07 of the game, during which time the Pack piled on 20 points to just eight by Montana Western.
With the win, CSU-Pueblo improves to 2-1 on the season with a chance to snag a non-conference win over Colorado Mesa Sunday night, which has started the season 1-2.
