PUEBLO, Colo. (Nov. 15, 2018) - The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball team hosts the 35th Annual Al Kaly Shrine Classic Nov. 17-18 at Massari Arena to open the 2018-19 home slate. The ThunderWolves will play at 7 p.m. both nights, as they welcome Midwestern State University, Friday and Wayland Baptist University, Saturday.
Adams State University will also be in town and will play at 3 p.m. both days against WBU and MSU Texas, respectfully.
THE PACK
• CSU-Pueblo went 1-1 to begin the season, as it competed in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Pack won the opener 90-83 against Arkansas-Fort Smith and then fell 68-60 against Rogers State in two neutral site contests.
• Both redshirt-juniors Donovan Oldham (26) and Jason Anderson (20) dropped 20-plus points in the win. Anderson shot 9-for-10 from the field, added 11 rebounds for his first double-dobule of the season and dished out five assists. Oldham went a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line to guide the Pack to a 27-for-29 (97%) effort from the charity stripe. Playing in his first collegiate game, freshman Cade Carrol added 19 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
• The ThunderWolves shot 36 percent from the field, while Rogers State hit on 42 percent. CSU-Pueblo struggled in the second half after shooting 48 percent in the first 20 minutes, the Pack hit on 24.1 percent in the final frame. Oldham led the team with 18 points, added six rebounds and a team-high four assists with two blocks. Sophomore Corey Seng added 14 points and six rebounds.
• Oldham's 22.0 points per game is good for third in the conference.
• Carrol's 7.5 rebounds per game sits T-4th in the RMAC.
• Junior Harvey Barr totaled four blocks off the bench to rank T-2nd in the league.
• The Pack finished the weekend with a monster rebounding margin advantage, as they hold a +15.2 margin, which leads the RMAC by more than double the team in second and sits 5th in NCAA Division II.
• CSU-Pueblo got it done from the line in the opening weekend, as they hold an RMAC-best 88.9 percent, which ranks 7th nationally.
• The Pack are tied for first in assists per game with 17.0.
• The TunderWolves return eight players from last season that saw the floor and 10 who were in the program. Four returners logged 19 or more minutes per game last year. They are Gavin Liggett, Anderson, Oldham and Seng.
• Anderson was named Preseason All-RMAC after gathering All-RMAC Second Team honors last year, which was his first with the Pack. The ThunderWolves were selected to finish ninth in the 2018-19 RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Head Coach Ralph Turner is in his eighth season as bench boss of the Pack and owns a 110-86 (.561) overall record.
THE MUSTANGS
• The Mustangs opened their season also going 1-1 against the same opponents the Pack were up against, but with opposite results. MSU Texas picked up a 80-75 win against Rogers State Friday, then fell to UAFS 64-63.
• In the win, four players scored in double-figures, guided by Darius Thompson's 15 points, which was aided by three 3-pointers. Josh Wallace added 14 points and a team-high four assists.
• In the loss, the Mustangs knocked down a 3-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to hold a 63-61 lead, but with eight ticks left the Lions found the game-winner from long range to steal the 64-63 win. Wallace scored 16 points in the loss, while Trae Jones totaled 10 points.
• The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 3-3, while four of those games (2-2) were played at Massari Arena. The ThunderWolves won the last meeting 87-74 in 2015 in Wichita Falls.
• MSU Texas was picked sixth in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll.
THE PIONEERS
• The Pioneers are No. 20 in the latest NAIA standings and have started the season 4-0.
• WBU is coming off a 92-73 home win on Tuesday against University of the Southwest. Trevonta Robertson scored 26 points in the win and was 10-of-12 () from the field with a 4-of-5 (80%) effort from long range. Josh Throns added 19 points, also with four 3-pointers to his credit. The team finished the game shooting 54.8 percent from the field and hit 10 3-pointers.
• This season, the Pioneers have a +16.5 scoring margin and are shooting at a 53.3 percent clip, while holding their opponents to 37.5 percent from the field. They also tout a 10.3 rebounding margin advantage.
• Robertson is averaging 20 points per game and is shooting 67.4 percent from the field. J.J. Culver adds 18.5 points per game, while Throns has posted 12.5 points per game off the bench.
LOOKING AHEAD
• The ThunderWolves conclude nonconference play Nov. 23-24 at West Texas A&M and versus Lubbuck Christian in Canyon, Texas.
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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.
