PUEBLO, Colo. (January 31, 2015) - Dee Arrieta (Jr., Pueblo West, Colo.) matched her career high with 22 points, helping lead the Colorado State University-Pueblo women's basketball team to a 74-68 victory over the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Saturday at Massari Arena.
The win boosts the ThunderWolves' record to 12-8 overall and 10-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The victory ups the Pack's record versus their Silver City rival to 21-5 all-time at home. For the Mountain Lions, they drop to 13-3 in the conference and 18-4 overall.
The Pack outshot the Mountain Lions from the field 48.3 percent (29-of-60) to 43.1 percent (28-of-65). The ThunderWolves owned the advantage from beyond the 3-point arch with a 41.7 percent mark (5-of-12) compared to UCCS' 16.7 percentage (3-of-18). The Mountain Lions held the slight edge in rebounding, 38-37, while CSU-Pueblo owned the edge in assists, 17-9, and steals, 8-7.
Arrieta led the way in scoring for the Pack, scoring 22 points, netting four of the team's five three-pointers. Arrieta shot 4-of-6 from 3-point range and finished 8-of-12 overall from the field. The junior also added a game-high six assists and a team-best seven rebounds. Junior Ashley Piper (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) added 17 points, joining Arrieta as the only two ThunderWolves to score in double figures.
The Mountain Lions' Abby Kirchoff scored a contest-high 21 points. Kelly Krueger , Tori Fisher and Gabby Ramirez added 10 points apiece. Sam Patterson tallied nine points and a game-high eight rebounds.
CSU-Pueblo came out of the gates quickly, going up by 16, at 24-8, with 8:13 elapsed in the first half. After the Mountain Lions cut the deficit to 12 points, at 26-14, at the 9:27 mark, the ThunderWolves closed the stanza on a 19-11 scoring run to take a 45-25 lead into the locker room. Shannon Patterson (Fr., Pueblo, Colo.) buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Pack the 20-point advantage.
UCCS began to chip away at the deficit in the second half, pulling to within four, at 56-52, with 8:55 remaining in regulation.
Four points was as close as the Mountain Lions got the rest of the game as CSU-Pueblo held on for the 74-68 victory. Patterson and Arrieta each made a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute to seal the win for the ThunderWolves.
Up next, CSU-Pueblo will battle Fort Lewis on the road Feb. 13 followed by another road contest at Adams State Feb. 14. Both games are scheduled to start at 5:30 pm.
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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.
