PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com – Feb. 15, 2014) – With the game tied at 41, the Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves clamped down defensively going on a 12-0 run over the next nine minutes while holding the visiting Adams State University Grizzlies to just five points over the last 12 ½ en-route to a key 59-46 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's basketball victory, Saturday night in Massari Arena.
The win was the Pack's tenth in 11 home games and helped the Pack clinch the right to host a RMAC Shootout quarterfinal game on March 4. With still four games remaining in the regular season, the Pack are now 18-6 overall and 15-3 in RMAC play, good for a 4-game cushion on third place Regis.
The Grizzlies fell to 9-14 overall and to 5-13 in the loop.
Although the defense certainly shined, the Pack also received a big offensive boost from Taylor Fox (Sr., Santa Cruz, Calif.) , who scored a game-high 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting. She also had a game-high eight boards.
Meanwhile, the ThunderWolves held Adams State to just 35.3 percent (18-51) shooting throughout the night, including an even paltrier 28.0 percent (7-25) in the second half.
After Candace Shaw tied the game at 41 for the Grizzlies, they went their next three trips without a bucket, committing two turnovers before Ashley Piper (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa) scored all five of her points in the big game-deciding run, that included a Fox 3-pointer and a Paige Ramm (Sr., Prescott, Ariz.) fast-break layup that made the score 53-41 with 3 ½ minutes to go.
The Pack then continued the pressure extending the lead to as many as 15 in the final minute as Ramm hit 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch to ice the game while finishing the night with 10 points.
CSU-Pueblo had 18 assists on the night from six different players, including Alex Evans (Sr., Louisville, Colo.) who had five to go along with six points and six rebounds.
As a team, the Pack shot 46.7 percent (21-45) from the field, including an impressive 45.0 percent (9-20) from 3-point territory.
Now winners of six of their last seven, the Pack will await the first set of NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings to be released on Wednesday (Feb. 19) and will then play at Black Hills State (12-11, 11-8 RMAC) and Chadron State (4-19, 4-15 RMAC) next Friday and Saturday evenings, respectively. They will then play at home three times in five days to end the regular season and begin the playoff campaign.
