GUNNISON, Colo. (December 5, 2015) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball team edged Western State Colorado University, 87-84, Saturday in the opener of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season, Saturday in Gunnison, Colorado.
The ThunderWolves (5-2) led for most of the game agianst the Mountaineers (1-6), as five players scored in double figures for the Pack. Junior guard Syrus McDonald (Flint, Mich.) guided CSU-Pueblo with 18 points, while back-up point guard Will Newman (So., Lawndale, Calif.) added 15 points and six rebounds. Sophomore shooting guard Josh Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo.) came off the bench and added 14 points, as he knocked down four of eight from long range.
Western State outshot the road team 53.6 percent to 48.4 percent. CSU-Pueblo hit 12 3-pointers, while the Mountaineers converted on eight attempts from long range. The Pack totaled 35 points off the bench.
The ThunderWolves led more than 90 percent of the game and owned an 11-point lead with 13:50 remaining in the second half. A McDonald layup capped a 10-0 run for the ThunderWolves to give the Pack a 57-46 advantage.
The Mountaineers then posted a 16-4 run during the next four minutes of game time to open a 62-61 lead midway through the second frame. The teams traded buckets for the next four minutes until another Pack run moved the CSU-Pueblo advantage to nine at 73-64.
A Smith tip-in with 3:44 gave the ThunderWolves a three-possession lead at 77-70, but the home team rallied to knot the contest at 77-77 with just 1:37 showing on the game clock.
Senior Chris Golden (G, Milwaukee, Wis.), who had just eight points, scored the Pack's next seven points to move the lead to 84-81 with 27 ticks left. WSCU tied the game with a dramatic 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, but a foul put Newman at the line and the sophomore hit on both attempts to go up 86-84.
A turnover on the other end handed the ball back to the Pack and one-of-two from the line by Newman sealed the deal for the ThunderWolves.
Next, CSU-Pueblo remain on the road for two conference games at Western New Mexico University and New Mexico Highlands University, Dec. 11-12. The games cap a start to the season where the ThunderWolves have been on the road for eight of nine games.
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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.
