PUEBLO, Colo. (January 8, 2016) - In its first home game of the New Year, the Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball team treated its fans to a resounding 88-69 victory against New Mexico Highlands University, which had entered the evening tied for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference lead.
While conditions were frigid and snow covered outside of Massari Arena, the Pack (9-5 overall, 5-3 RMAC) were sizzling on offense Friday night, especially in the first half as they shot 50 percent, en route to a 47-32 halftime lead. CSU-Pueblo would shoot 48 percent for the game and the 88 points scored were the second highest scoring output for the Pack this season, trailing only their 96-point effort against Texas-Permian Basin Nov. 15, 2015.
The Pack forced 14 turnovers and converted them into 24 points to win the category 24-8, while the home team also earned a 36-20 advantage in the paint. The CSU-Pueblo bench totaled 35 bench points.
Sophomore guard Will Newman (Lawndale, Calif.) paced the ThunderWolves' offense in the first half with 12 of his game-high 18 points. Newman added six rebounds and a team-high four assists in his 30 minutes off the bench.
Junior guard Syrus McDonald (Flint, Mich.) tallied 17 points, senior guard Odessa Lear (Parkhill, Colo.) finished two rebounds shy of a double-double with 15 points and eight boards and junior center Nelson Kahler (Noosa Heads, Australia) added 14 points and seven rebounds to round out Pack players in double figures.
CSU-Pueblo trailed just once on the evening, falling behind 5-3 at the 17:23 mark of the first half. But, the Pack rattled off an 11-2 run over the next 4:57 — capped off by a 3-pointer by Lear — to bump their lead to 16-7.
The ThunderWolves would lead by as many as 17 points in the first half, but New Mexico Highlands (7-7 overall, 6-2 RMAC) wouldn't go away quietly.
The Cowboys opened the second half on a 15-6 run spanning the first 5:58 to cut the CSU-Pueblo lead to 53-47 following a made free throw by Kendrick Nichols, who led the Cowboys with 18 points.
CSU-Pueblo responded with an 18-4 run over the next 4:25, sparked and capped by 3-pointers from Lear, to balloon its lead to 20 at 71-51 and force a Cowboys timeout with 9:37 remaining. New Mexico Highlands never inched closer than 15 points the rest of the way as the Pack cruised to the 88-69 final.
With the win, CSU-Pueblo, which has now won three of its past four games, improved to 2-2 inside Massari Arena this season. The Pack will look to build off the victory when it takes on Western New Mexico University at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the second game of their home back-to-back.
– 30 –
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Colorado State University – Pueblo competes in 22 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
