PUEBLO, Colo. (Feb. 23, 2019) - The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball team lost to Metro State University of Denver 76-62 Saturday in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest at Massari Arena. 

The ThunderWolves (6-21, 4-17 RMAC) shot 41.8 percent from the field, but allowed the Roadrunners (11-14, 9-12 RMAC) to connect on 52.9 percent of their shots, which included a 58.3 percentage in the first half. CSU-Pueblo was outrebounded 41-21, which included allowing seven offense boards MSU Denver was able to convert into 16 second chance points. The Pack limited turnovers to eight, while forcing 13 giveaways by the visiting team and cashing in on 20 points off turnovers. The inside game was even at 26-26 in the category of points in the paint. 

Jordan Phillips (R-So., G/F, Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the team with 14 points in 25 minutes. He was 6-for-11 (54.5%) from the field with a pair of 3-pointers. He added four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. 

Center Jason Anderson (R-Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) totaled 11 points with a team-high six rebounds. He added two blocks and an assist. Off the bench, guard Dalen Jackson (R-Fr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) dropped 12 points in 10 minutes on 4-of-5 (80%) shooting. Starting point guard freshman Tyson Gilbert (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) had five of the team's nine assists. 

The contest saw five lead changes and three tie ball games during the first half. The ThunderWolves were firing from long range early, as they knocked down four 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the game to open a 12-4 lead with 15:54 showing on the game clock. Anderson had a stretch of play where he hit a 3-pointer, got a block on the other end and then hit another dagger from downtown. 

The Roadrunners then found a rhythm and posted a 9-0 run that handed them their first lead of the game at 13-12 with 13:59 left in the opening half. After a 5-0 response by the Pack, the contest went into a seesaw match with both teams holding one possession leads until MSU Denver turned a one-point deficit at 24-23 into a six-point lead at 30-24 with 6:27 remaining in the half. 

CSU-Pueblo battled back with a 6-0 run of their own that tied the game for the third time, 30-30 with 3:31 left. Unfortunately, the ThunderWolves would lose those remaining minutes 10-5 and trail 40-35 at the break. The Roadrunners hit two of their six first half 3-pointers in that final stretch. 

The Pack again had a good start to a half and after getting down six at 43-37, rattled off a 6-0 run (four points from Phillips) to tie the game 43-43 with 15:47 remaining. Neither team scored for another two minutes of game time, extending MSU Denver's scoreless streak to more than five minutes of game clock. 

A layup broke the dry spell for the Roadrunners and after trading buckets, their lead was two at 47-45 with 12:38 lett. The road team would then post a 7-0 run to open a 54-45 advantage midway through the half that the Pack wouldn't be able to battle back from. CSU-Pueblo got as close as seven and trail by as many as 17 before the final horn showed a 14-point loss. 

The ThunderWolves will host New Mexico Highlands University March 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the season finale. The contest will mark Senior Day for lone senior Gavin Liggett (G, Limon, Colo.).