SILVER CITY, N.M. (December 11, 2015) – A balanced scoring attack guided the Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball team to an 80-77 road victory Friday at Western New Mexico University in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest in Silver City, New Mexico.

Nine different players scored in the first 12 minutes of the game, as no player had more than four points. Ten players total earned a spot on the scorecard, as

junior Nelson Kahler (C, Noosa Heads, Austrailia) guided the ThunderWolves (6-2, 2-0 RMAC) with 17 points on 7-of-9 (77.8) shooting from the field. He added six rebounds.

Three other players were in double figures, as senior Odessa Lear (F, Parkhill, Colo.) totaled 12 points, added a team-high 10 rebounds and posted five assists to record his third double-double of the season. Junior Syrus McDonald (G, Flint, Mich.) recorded 14 points and added a team-high six assists.

The ThunderWolves knocked down eight 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, en route to hitting on 11-of-33 from long range. The Pack forced 17 turnovers and scored 22 points off those Mustang (0-7, 0-2 RMAC) miscues. CSU-Pueblo totaled 21 assists and turned the ball over 11 times.

The Pack entered the game ranked 18th nationally in 3-point field goals made per game (10.7).

The ThunderWolves jumped out to a 14-2 lead 4:18 into the first half and built a lead as large as 18 on multiple occasions during the first half. Halfway through the first frame, the Pack had seven different players in the scoring column and had hit six 3-pointers.

The road team's lead was 18 at 35-17 with 6:50 remaining in the first half, but the Mustangs chipped away and battled back to trail by tie the game at 39-39 with 1:53 left in the first half. During the 22-4 run, the ThunderWolves totaled five turnovers and missed three shots.

By the halftime buzzer, the Mustangs owned a 46-44 lead.

The teams traded buckets for most of the first 10 minutes of the second half, until the Pack turned a 62-61 lead into a 10-point advantage at 71-61 with 5:34 left in regulation. The Mustangs didn't score for nearly five minutes during the road team's run.

Again the home team didn't quit, trying to find that first win of the season, and went on a 16-7 run during the next five minutes to cut the deficit to just one, 78-77 and 45 ticks left. The Mustangs got a stop on the defensive end and had an opportunity for the last shot, but Lear stole the game and forced WNMU to foul with nine seconds left. The senior knocked down both free throws and the home team fell short on a tying 3-pointer to allow the Pack to escape with the win. 

Next, CSU-Pueblo will play at New Mexico Highlands University Saturday in a 7 p.m. contest. The game will wrap a start to the season where the ThunderWolves played eight of nine games on the road.