ALAMOSA, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Feb. 16, 2013) - Another CSU-Pueblo/Adams State game, another classic finish as CSU-Pueblo this time got the better of the Grizzlies, getting a much need win by claiming a 67-65 victory Saturday night.
The win elevates the Pack to 11-13 overall and 10-8 in RMAC play, further solidifying its bid for an RMAC Tournament berth.
For the third straight meeting between the two teams, the game came down to a final possession in regulation as Adams State nearly stole one away from CSU-Pueblo, which led most of the game. After leading by as much as nine in the second half, the Pack's led evaporated as Adams State's John Jackson hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds left to tie the game at 65-65.
CSU-Pueblo, however, would eventually prevail as Arden Dennis (Sr., Denver, Colo.) hit a shot with three seconds left to give the Pack a 67-65 lead, and unlike the last meeting between the two teams, in which Adams State used a buzzer beater to send the game to overtime and eventually win, a would-be game-winning three went wide to preserve the win for the Pack.
The ThunderWolves and Grizzlies played a neck-and-neck game from the outset, and it was CSU-Pueblo that held the upper hand, however slight, in the early going and largely kept it throughout.
CSU-Pueblo led for most of the first half, surrendering the lead with five minutes remaining in the first frame as Adams State used a 12-2 run, which featured two Justin Kauffman three-pointers, to turn a 25-18 CSU-Pueblo lead into a 30-27 Grizzly lead at halftime.
The Pack responded well in the second half, though, scoring nine of the half's first 11 points, using two Nate Tigner (Jr., Fort Worth, Texas) layups and a three by Matt Rosenbaum (Jr., Sidney, Neb.) to go up 36-32.
From there, CSU-Pueblo would continue to stay a step or two ahead of Adams State, consistently holding the advantage while never opening up a lead bigger than nine points.
Down the stretch, Adams State closed CSU-Pueblo's advantage, tying the game at 57-57 with 4:56 left and setting the stage for a possible classic ending.
But CSU-Pueblo made sure it didn't panic, playing technically efficient basketball, drawing fouls and hitting high-percentage shots. The ThunderWolves went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final five minutes and hitting three out of four field goal attempts, its only miss coming from three-point range. Only Jackson's three-pointer made things interesting in a game that the ThunderWolves largely controlled.
CSU-Pueblo was led by Rosenbaum, who eclipsed 20 for the second straight night, scoring 21.
The ThunderWolves return home next weekend to host Chadron State and Black Hills State, looking to clinch its first berth in the RMAC Tournament since 2010. CSU-Pueblo needs either one win or a Western State loss to stamp its ticket to the Tournament.
