PUEBLO, Colo. (March 4, 2016)- With four players in double figures and four players with seven or more rebounds, Colorado State University-Pueblo's balance kept Colorado Christian University off balance in a 68-54 win in front of a loud crowd at Massari Arena. This victory propels the ThunderWolves (25-5) into the finals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year. They will play Fort Lewis College with the RMAC Tournament Championship on the line Saturday.

Tuileisu Anderson (So., Vancouver, Wash.) caught fire early and never cooled off. The First Team All-RMAC Selection sank 6-of-8 from the field, including 3-of-4 from downtown. Anderson also swished each of her three free throw attempts as she finished with a game-high 18 points. Anderson also grabbed seven rebounds to help the Pack eliminate the Cougars.

Seniors Dee Arrieta (Pueblo West, Colo.) and Ashley Piper (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) shined in the Pack's victory. Arrieta netted 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field. Arrieta sank two 3-pointers as she now stands one three ball away from third place all-time at CSU-Pueblo.

Piper notched 12 points, including 5-fo-6 shooting from the charity stripe. The senior also led the Pack with eight rebounds and four steals.

Freshman Molly Rohrer (Greenwood Village, Colo.) scored 14 points for the ThunderWolves. Rohrer also rejected her 63rd shot of the season as she stands just one block away from second place on the school's single season leaderboard.

Colorado Christian took a 2-0 lead on the game's first basket. It would be their final lead of the game. The Pack responded with a 9-0 run on a trio of three pointers. Anderson swished two triples, while Piper potted a 3-ball of her own to give the Pack a lead they would never relinquish with 9:21 remaining in the first quarter.

With just over a minute left in the first, the Cougars closed within three. However, Piper knocked down a jumper with one second left on the clock to put momentum back on CSU-Pueblo's side. Courtesy of Piper's buzzer beater, the Pack held a 21-16 lead after one.

Defenses locked in during the second quarter as both teams were held scoreless from 9:00-4:53 of the second quarter. The Pack built their lead to as many as nine, but the Cougars ended the quarter with four in a row as they cut the gap to 30-25 at halftime.

Coming out of the break, CCU got the first bucket to close within three yet again. However, they would never catch up as the Pack rattled off another 9-0 run to mimic the start of the game. Colorado Christian countered with five consecutive points, but then the Pack ran away with their second 9-0 run of the quarter as they outscored the Cougars 18-7 over the first eight minutes of the third. They led 51-40 after three.

The Pack would pull away in the fourth. With CCU forced to foul, the Pack took advantage converting 8-of-10 free throw attempts in the final frame to secure a 68-54 victory and a place in the RMAC Tournament Championship game.

Maddie Beagley (Jr., Russell, Kan.) and Mariana Lambert (Sr., Jundiai, Brazil) each had seven rebounds off the bench. The Pack had a decisive advantage on the glass, grabbing 48 rebounds compared to just 31 for the Cougars.

The ThunderWolves limited the RMAC's best shooting team to just 33.9 percent from the field, almost 10 percent lower than their season average. CSU-Pueblo shot 39.7 percent in the win.

In the first semifinal of the night, Fort Lewis knocked off University of Colorado-Colorado Springs 79-70. The Skyhawks and Pack will now play for a third time this season to decide who wins the conference crown.

This game between the No. 2 seed CSU-Pueblo and the No.8 seed Fort Lewis will tip off at 7 p.m. at Massari Arena. If the Pack wins, they will match a conference record with their fifth RMAC Tournament Championship. They last celebrated a RMAC Shootout Title in 2009-10.  

Pack Athletics has kindly donated 300 free tickets to CSU-Pueblo students for Saturday's playoff game. The first 300 students with a CSU-Pueblo ID in line for Tuesday's playoff game will receive this free general admission ticket.

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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