PUEBLO, Colo. (December 6, 2014) – Three different players scored in double figures, while eight players overall tallied points as the Colorado State University-Pueblo women's basketball team knocked off the visiting Fort Lewis College Skyhawks, 62-51, inside Massari Arena.
Katie Nehf (Sr., Broomfield, Colo), Dee Arrieta (Jr., Pueblo West, Colo.) and Ashley Piper (Jr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa) recorded 12, 12 and 10 points, respectively, to pace the ThunderWolves. Piper also registered her second consecutive double-digit rebound contest, finishing with a career-high 12 boards for her first double-double of the season. Nehf finished with a game-high four assists.
The win improves the Pack to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. CSU-Pueblo remains unbeaten at home and improves to 24-13 versus the Skyhawks in Pueblo. The loss drops Fort Lewis to 3-3 on the season and 0-2 in RMAC tilts.
The ThunderWolves' defense shut down the opposing offense for the second game in a row, holding the Skyhawks to a 34.5 (19-of-55) field-goal percentage, including a 22.6 (7-of-31) percent mark from the three-point line. CSU-Pueblo out rebounded Fort Lewis, 42-38, and recorded eight steals to the visitors' seven.
Offensively, the Pack shot 34.0 (17-of-50) percent from the field, with nearly half of those made baskets coming from behind the arc. CSU-Pueblo finished 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from long range. The ThunderWolves held a decided advantage from the free-throw line, knocking down 20-of-32 (62.5 percent) free throws, while the Skyhawks made just 6-of-15 (40.0 percent) shots from the line.
Michelle Turner recorded a game-high 12 points for Fort Lewis, while Kile Magazzeni had a team-best nine rebounds and a contest-high two blocks.
CSU-Pueblo held an early 5-4 lead with just under three minutes elapsed in the opening period. The Skyhawks took the lead, at 7-5, on a three-pointer by Kylie Santos with 15:51 showing on the game clock.
Fort Lewis maintained the advantage for the next 10:48, leading by as many as six on two different occasions.
Trailing 25-23, the ThunderWolves outscored the visitors 10-3 over the final 5:03 to take a 33-28 lead into the halftime break. Arrieta made two of her four three pointers during the scoring run, including one to beat the buzzer heading into the intermission.
The Pack never trailed in the second half, extending their lead to double digits, at 50-39, with 6:36 remaining in the game.
Fort Lewis was able to pull within seven on four different occasions, but the Nehf put the game away with four free throws in the final minute, giving the ThunderWolves the 62-51 victory.
The Pack remain at home next weekend, hosting Regis University and Metro State University of Denver Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both contests are slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. 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.
