(Photo courtesy of Kevin Sumruld)

PUEBLO, Colo. (February 19, 2016)– Behind a suffocating defensive effort, the Colorado State University-Pueblo women's basketball team stymied Colorado Christian University in a 65-54 win. With their seventh consecutive victory, the Pack now stands at 22-4 with a 17-3 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games.

The ThunderWolves held Colorado Christian to just 29 percent (9-of-31) shooting from the field in the second half to drop the Cougars to 17-7 (14-6 RMAC). Facing the Pack's defense, CCU shot 33.3 % from the field for the game, their third lowest total of the season.

Freshman Lauren Heyn  (Loomis, Calif.) caused problems for the Cougars. Heyn scored 13 points and led the Pack with seven rebounds. The freshman went 5-of-7 from the field and knocked down both of her shots from downtown. Ten of Heyn's points came in the second half.

Tuileisu Anderson (So., Vancouver, Wash.) posted a team high 14 points. Anderson also dished out four assists in the win.

Senior Ashley Piper (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) tallied 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field. Piper also hit all four of her free throws. As a team, the Pack went 17-of-21 (81.0 %) from the line.

Molly Rohrer (Fr., Greenwood Village, Colo.) tacked on eight points with six rebounds and two blocks. Rohrer has two or more blocks in each of her last six games.

An early 9-0 run gave the Pack an 11-4 lead. The Cougars rallied to take an 18-16 into the final seconds of the first. At the buzzer, Jaszymn Johnson (Sr., Denver, Colo.) swished a 3-pointer to give the Pack a 19-18 lead after one. Johnson went 3-of-5 from the field with a pair of free throws. 

The Pack erupted with a 9-2 run over the first 4:30 of the second quarter to take 28-20 advantage. The Cougars climbed within two just two minutes later. CSU-Pueblo would eventually carry a 34-30 lead into halftime.

Facing one of the top defenses in the country, the Pack knocked down 41.7 % (10-for-24) of their shots in the first half. Anderson led the Pack with eight points in the first 20 minutes. Johnson scored seven of her nine points in the opening half.

Both teams traded buckets for the majority of the third quarter. CCU cut the Pack lead to 43-40 with 3:23 left in the third. The Pack responded with a 7-0 run that built the lead to double digits for the first time in the game. The Cougars would get two back, but they trailed 50-42 heading into the final frame.

The Pack's lead slimmed to four, 57-53 with 5:48 left in the game after a layup by Chandler Sturms. However, the Cougars would not get another field goal.

CSU-Pueblo finished the game on an 8-1 run to close out Colorado Christian and earn a 65-54 victory. The Cougars missed their last seven field goal attempts.

The ThunderWolves held CCU's leading scorer, Kate Louthan in check. Louthan finished with seven points overall and made just 1-of-9 from the field.

The Pack will matchup with Colorado School of Mines Saturday at 5 p.m. in Massari  Arena. Saturday's game will also be parents night at Massari so come celebrate with Pack women's basketball and their families.

This game will be crucial for both the Pack and the Orediggers. The winner will clinch a share of the RMAC's regular season title. If the Pack wins, they secure their first regular season conference crown since 1998-99.

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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.