PUEBLO, Colo. (December 18, 2015) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball loss its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference home opener Friday at Massari Arena by the score of 87-76 to visiting Fort Lewis College.
The ThunderWolves dropped to 6-4 overall and 2-2 in RMAC play, while Fort Lewis, who are receiving votes nationally, improved to 9-1 and 3-1 in conference.
CSU-Pueblo actually outshot the Skyhawks with a 47.4 percentage to FLC's 44.4 percent from the field. The two teams each knocked down 11 3-pointers, but the road team won at the free-throw line hitting 17 more freebies from the charity stripe. FLC won the rebounding battle 40-28, which included an 11-7 advantage on the offensive boards that turned into an 11-2 edge in second chance points.
The ThunderWolves were guided by junior guard Syrus McDonald (Flint, Mich.), as he totaled 17 points on 7-of-8 (87.5%) shooting from the field. Sophomore Josh Smith (G, Colorado Springs, Colo.) knocked down three from long range and totaled 13 points, while sophomore Will Newman (Lawndale, Calif.) came off the bench to add 12 points and a team-high four assists.
The ThunderWolves jumped out to a 9-2 lead during the first 4:30 of the opening half. The Skyhawks then battled back to post a 16-12 lead on a 14-3 run that spanned three minutes of game clock.
The FLC lead was five at 24-19 when the ThunderWolves went on a 9-3 run to open a 28-27 lead with 5:38 showing on the game clock. The game of runs and momentum change continued, as the road team rattled off a 12-0 run that covered three minutes. The streak handed FLC a 39-28 lead before a Gavin Ligget (R-Fr., G, Limon, Colo.) 3-pointer stopped the drought for the Pack with 2:36 left in the opening frame.
At the break, the deficit was 10, as the Skyhawks led 43-33. CSU-Pueblo shot just 39.4 percent in the half, while allowing FLC to hit on 48.1 percent of its attempts. Both teams hit on six 3-pointers, while the Pack totaled four steals.
The ThunderWolves opened the second half on a 12-0 run and didn't allow a FLC bucket until the 16:24 mark of the new 20. McDonald sparked the run with seven points, as the ThunderWolves led 45-43.
The Pack then stalled out to allow the Skyhawks to retake the game and lead 59-48 with 11 and change left in regulation. Newman broke the seal on an old-fashioned 3-point play and the ThunderWolves trailed 59-51 with 11 minutes left.
A Smith lay-up cut the deficit to just two at 64-62 with 8:19 remaining, but a 4-0 Skyhawk run got the road team's lead back to two possessions.
CSU-Pueblo didn't back down and got within three at 71-68 with 5:43 remaining, but, again, FLC pushed back and 5-0 run moved the game to a three possession difference at 75-68. CSU-Pueblo cut it to four at 75-71 and 4:49 left, but the Skyhawks had an answer for everything the Pack had to throw at them and won the game by the 11-point margin, 87-76.
The ThunderWolves will look to rebound against Adams State University (4-5, 3-1 RMAC) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Massari Arena. A donation of a new, unwrapped toy earns fans free admission to the game.
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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.
