PUEBLO, Colo. (February 20, 2015) - The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball team downed Black Hills State University 78-67 in an in home Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference showdown, Friday, to extend their win streak to seven games in a row.
The ThunderWolves improved to 18-7 on the season (11-2 at home) and 14-5 in the RMAC. The Pack are still a game ahead of Colorado Mesa University in the conference standings, hanging on to the fourth spot. The seven straight games are the most since the 1999-00 team recorded a 7-0 mark to start the season.
The ThunderWolves had four players score in double-figures, with junior Bronson Moton (F, Aurora, Colo.) falling just one point shy to be the fifth. He led the Pack with seven rebounds. Freshman Will Newman (G, Lawndale, Calif.) and junior Odessa Lear (G, Parkhill, Colo.) tied for the team-high with 12 points, while Tyrone Marshall (Sr.,C, Denver, Colo.) and Devonte Malcolm (Sr., G, Sierra Vista, Ariz.) had 11 and 10, respectively.
CSU-Pueblo controlled every dimension of the game, outdueling BHSU 36-20 in points in the paint. On the boards, they outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 37-24. The ThunderWolves shot 50 percent from the field.
The Pack led from the get-go and never trailed in the contest. CSU-Pueblo quickly pounced on its opponent and opened the game on a 9-2 run. At one point, the ThunderWolves led 20-7 over the Yellow Jackets with 12:34 to go in the period. Black Hills State didn't go away, as they posted a run of its own, outscoring the home team 20-9 to tie the game 31-31 with 1:40 remaining in the frame.
The knotted score didn't last long, as on the next possession the Pack pitched in two free throws that began a 7-0 run that would carry over into the next period, to lead 36-31 at half and 38-31 early in the second. Other than the short tie the Pack led the entire game for 39 minutes and 34 seconds.
The ThunderWolves shot lights out in the second half, recording an incredible 65.2 percent from the field, (15-of-23). The Pack's bench also caught fire in the half, scoring 24 of their 35 bench points, which outscored Black Hills State's bench by six points for the entire game.
After trading buckets for the second half's first five minutes, the ThunderWolves pushed a one point 49-48 lead into a 12-point advantage, thanks to a 13-2 run during four minutes of game time. CSU-Pueblo led by eight at 62-54 with 8:39 remaining, but never let the advantage dip below that mark, en route to the 11-point victory.
CSU-Pueblo will look to extend their win streak to eight, Saturday on senior night when Chadron State College visits Massari Arena at 7:30 p.m. The contest will be its final regular season home game of the year.
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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.
