GUNNISON, Colo. (Jan. 10, 2020) – The Colorado State University-Pueblo men's basketball team went on the road Friday and picked up a 79-71 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win at Western Colorado University.
 
The ThunderWolves (7-7, 5-3 RMAC) secured their third straight victory with the win. The Pack shot 45.6 percent from the field in the game, while the Mountaineers (5-9, 2-6 RMAC) were held to 42.6 percent. CSU-Pueblo was outrebounded 40-30, but forced 17 WCU turnovers that aided 14 points off those giveaways and 15 fast break points. 
 
David Simental (R-So., Pueblo West, Colo.) guided the Pack with 21 points. He went 6-for-13 (46.2%) from the field and knocked down eight of his nine free throw attempts (88.9%). He totaled three steals. 
 
Bryce Sanchious (Jr., F, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) came off the bench and dropped 16 points with a 7-for-10 (70%) effort from the free throw line. He added four rebounds. 
 
Senior Brandon McGhee (G, Oakland, Calif.) scored 13 points and had a team-high four assists. Senior Jason Anderson (C, Colorado Springs, Colo.) added 10 points and brought down a team-high seven rebounds 
 
The ThunderWolves started strong and following an old fashioned three-point play by Simental, the road team was ahead 14-8 with 14:16 remaining in the fist half. 
 
The Pack opened a 13-point lead at 33-20 with 4:13 remaining in the half. Western Colorado cut the lead to seven, but a pair of Simental free throws with seven ticks left gave the ThunderWolves a 40-31 lead at the break.
 
The lead was just one at 42-41 3:30 into the second frame, but an 8-0 run guided by six points from Sanchious pushed the advantage back to nine at 50-41. The Mountaineers responded with a run of their own and with an 11-0 stretch took their first (and only) lead of the game at 52-50 with 11:31 on the clock. 
 
The Pack punched back and snapped the stretch with a 5-0 run to regain the lead and then the teams traded blows for the next five minutes of game time. Up one at 65-64 with 6:27 left, CSU-Pueblo recorded a 6-0 run, capped by a Sanchious layup, to secure a seven-point lead, 71-64, with just 2:06 remaining in regulation. 
 
Western Colorado would get within five twice down the stretch, but solid free throw shooting secured the Pack's eight-point victory, 79-71.
 
Saturday the ThunderWolves travel to Grand Junction, Colorado to meet Colorado Mesa University for a 7:30 p.m. tilt. 

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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.