PUEBLO, Colo. (December 12, 2014) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo women's basketball team rallied from down seven late in the second half to defeat the visiting Regis Rangers, 60-56, Friday at Massari Arena. Katie Nehf (Sr., Broomfield, Colo) and Ashley Piper (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa) led the ThunderWolves with identical 13 point and 12 rebound performances.
The victory extends the Pack's winning streak to eight consecutive games versus Regis and improves their record to 5-2 overall this season and 3-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tilts. The loss drops the Rangers to 4-2 on the season and 0-2 in RMAC games.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball as CSU-Pueblo finished 22-of-62 (35.5 percent) from the field, while Regis shot 23-of-64 (35.9 percent). A big difference in the game came at the free-throw line where the Pack converted on 12-of-18 attempts, while the Rangers made 6-of-9 shots from the charity stripe.
The ThunderWolves held a decided advantage in the rebounding category, corralling 50 boards to the visitor's 34. CSU-Pueblo owned the edge in second-chance points (16-5) thanks to 21 offensive rebounds.
Both Nehf and Piper recorded their second double-doubles of the season. For Piper, it was her second double-double in as many games. The duo combined to make 9-of-10 free throws, including all eight attempts in the second half.
For Regis, Caresse Williams led all scorers with 14 points. Karlyn Johnson added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair which featured six ties and 10 lead changes. The Rangers held their largest lead (11-7) of the opening period with 14:47 showing on the game clock.
The Pack led by two points on several different occasions, including a 25-23 advantage with 1:33 remaining until halftime. Regis' Bay'lee Purdy buried a jump shot with 29 ticks left to tie the score at 25 heading into the intermission.
The see-saw battle continued in the second half, with the ThunderWolves moving ahead 31-28 less than four minutes into the stanza only to see the Rangers answer with a 6-0 scoring run to take the lead 34-31.
CSU-Pueblo came right back with a 10-2 spurt to regain the lead, at 41-36, with 11:03 remaining in the contest. Freshman Shannon Patterson (Pueblo, Colo.) scored five of the Pack's 10 points during the scoring run.
Over the next 4:41, the Rangers reeled off an 18-6 burst to move ahead 54-47 with just over five minutes left in regulation.
From that point on it was all Thunderwolves, as the home team outscored Regis 13-2 over the final 5:23 to pull out the 60-56 victory. Nehf and Piper combined to contribute 10 of the 13 points during the final minutes, while Angie Moore (So., Katy, Texas) added a three-point basket, helping the Pack close out the victory.
CSU-Pueblo returns to the hardwood Sunday for a 2 p.m. contest versus Metro State University of Denver at Massari Arena.
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
