DENVER (Jan. 18, 2019) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball suffered a 71-64 setback in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference road contest at Metro State University of Denver Friday.
The ThunderWolves (5-11, 3-7 RMAC) and Roadrunners (7-7, 5-5 RMAC) were in a close battle until the home team rattled off a 14-0 run from the 15:58 mark to the 10:13 point of the second half to turn a two point deficit into a 12-point lead. The run was all MSU Denver needed to push the momentum to its side, en route to the seven-point victory.
Both teams had their shooting struggles in the first half, as the Pack held a 26.1percentage from the field to the Roadrunners' 39.3 percent. CSU-Pueblo finished the game shooting a season-low 30.0 percent, while MSU Denver shot at a 44.1 percent clip.
The ThunderWolves took 21 more shots thanks to 22 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second chance points, while 14 Roadrunner miscues equaled 14 points off turnovers for the Pack. Overall, CSU-Pueblo held a 51-47 rebounding advantage.
Center
Harvey Barr (R-Jr., Southampton, England, UK) came off the bench and tied for the team lead in scoring with 13 points after shooting 50 percent from the field. He added four rebounds with three coming on the offensive end.
Donovan Oldham (R-Jr., G/F, Colorado Springs, Colo.) also closed the game with 13 points, which included going 3-for-4 from long range. He added four rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Jason Anderson (R-Jr., C, Colorado Springs, Colo.) played in 15 minutes due to foul trouble, but was efficient with 11 points on 5-for-8 (62.5%) shooting. He tied with
Jordan Phillips (R-So., G/F, Colorado Springs, Colo.) for the team lead with seven rebounds.
The ThunderWovles led for 17 minutes during first 20 of the contest, while MSU Denver led for just 45 seconds. CSU-Pueblo's biggest lead came at 29-21 with 3:16 left in the opening half, but a 8-2 Roadrunner run to close the frame cut the Pack lead to just two at 31-29.
CSU-Pueblo continued to own a small advantage during the first four minutes of the second, as a bucket by
Corey Seng (So., G/F, Highland Ranch, Colo.) gave the ThunderWolves a 39-37 lead. The home team then made a big push and posted a 14-0 run down to the midway point of the second half.
A Seng bucket stopped the run, but the Roadrunners would stretch the advantage to 14 at 53-39 with 8:37 remaining.
CSU-Pueblo didn't back down and were within four at 66-62 after a Seng layup with 1:10 remaining. The Roadrunners would miss the front end of a one-and-one and the Pack had a chance to cut the deficit to a one possession game, but the shot didn't fall. The ThunderWolves were within three at 67-64, but MSU Denver would strike on their free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the RMAC win.
Next the Pack travel to Chadron State College (8-8, 6-4 RMAC) Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
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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.
