Box Score LUBBOCK, Texas (March 10, 2016) — One of the greatest seasons in Colorado State University-Pueblo women's basketball history reached its end on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The hot shooting No.7 seed Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets eliminated the No.2 seeded Pack with a 78-60 upset win.
Molly Rohrer (Fr., Greenwood Village, Colo.) led all players with 18 points and eight rebounds. Rohrer blocked two more shots to finish with 67 for the season. She made 7-of-14 from the field and sank 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
Dee Arrieta (Sr., Pueblo West, Colo.) sparked the Pack in the first half with nine points, swishing all three of her 3-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes. She finished with 10 points.
In the second half,
Tuileisu Anderson (So., Vancouver, Wash.) tried to will the ThunderWolves to victory. Anderson finished with 12 points and three steals, 10 of the these points came after halftime. Anderson also grabbed five rebounds.
Black Hills State caught fire in the first half. The Yellow Jackets made 54.3 percent of their field goals in the opening 20 minutes as they held an 18 point-lead at the break.
An 11-2 run in the first quarter gave the Yellow Jackets a 16-6 lead midway through the first. The Pack answered with an 8-0 run. The two teams the traded 3-pointers as Black Hills State held a 22-17 lead after one.
The Pack got the first bucket of the second quarter. However, Black Hills State scored 16 of the game's next 18 points to gain some separation. After the Pack closed within 11, the Yellow Jackets embarked on another 10-point run that gave them a 48-30 lead at halftime.
CSU-Pueblo shot 44 percent from the field in the first half. However, 11 Pack turnovers gave the Yellow Jackets and 18-point advantage at the break.
In the third quarter the Yellow Jackets built the lead up to 27 at one point. CSU-Pueblo scored the final six points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 67-46 after three.
The Pack scored the first eight points of the final frame as they trimmed the lead to 13. With the final six of the third, the Pack scored 14 consecutive points to make it 67-54. Unfortunately for Pack fans, CSU-Pueblo could not get any closer.
Black Hills State would make 26-of-37 from the free throw line as they closed out the Pack 78-60. CSU-Pueblo held Black Hills State to just 31.6 % from the second half, but could only make 38.5 percent of their own shots.
Although the 2016 season comes to an end, the Pack had arguably the best season in program history. The Pack set a program record with 26 wins.
Additionally, the ThunderWolves won their fifth RMAC Tournament Championship in school history, a conference record. CSU-Pueblo's .812 winning percentage also marked a program record.
Lauren Heyn (Fr., Loomis, Calif.) set a school record for field goal percentage. Heyn's 55.6 field goal percentage stands as the highest ever by a Pack player in a single season. She scored eight in her first NCAA Tournament game.
Arrieta became the third most prolific 3-point shooter in program history with 157 career 3-pointers. Rohrer posted the second highest single season block total with 67 rejections.
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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.
