GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (Dec. 18, 2021) – After a perfect 4-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) start, the Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball team (8-3, 4-1) came up short Saturday night, as the ThunderWolves fell 60-50 to Colorado Mesa University (10-1, 5-1).
 
The Mavericks started out the first quarter fast and heavy from behind the arch. In just minutes, the hosts jumped to an 8-2 lead over the ThunderWolves and seemed to continue to keep momentum. 
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Ro Dominguez and Tomia Johnson chipped the lead down to 11-10 and put the Pack back into contention early on. CSU Pueblo kept it close for the remainder of the quarter and followed the game into the second, trailing 19-16.
 
With 5:42 remaining in the half, the Pack took their first lead of the game after an Alisha Davis layup fell through the net. Later an Aubriana Noti shot would drop as well, but the ThunderWolves were unable to expand the lead past four.
 
With 1:07 to go in the second, Jazzy Hughes nailed the 3-pointer and sent the Pack into the locker room with a 29-27 lead.
 
The third quarter began carrying the same theme of the first half with strong physical play and tight contests. The Mavericks were able to out-pace the Pack throughout the quarter and headed into the fourth with the ThunderWolves trailing 41-39. 
 
After Colorado Mesa gained momentum in the closing moments of the third, the Mavericks took a seven-point lead midway through the fourth. CSU Pueblo refused to relent their offensive attack and whittled the deficit down to three points with 4:03 remaining.
 
The Pack could not gain any momentum due to the Mavericks' shooting down the stretch. Colorado Mesa put the game away through made free-throws and solidified the Pack's 60-50 loss in Grand Junction.
 
CSU Pueblo moves to 8-3 on the season and 4-1 in RMAC play after the tough road game. Johnson finished with a team-high 11 points and three steals off 5-8 shooting from the field.
 
The Pack saw strong bench performances once again, as Amaya Lewis notched 10 points and Hughes shot an efficient 4-5 from the field to log nine. Davis made her first appearance in eight games and totaled nine points to round out the scoring efforts by the Pack.
 
The ThunderWolves have nearly a two-week hiatus before they are back in action. CSU Pueblo heads back to Massari Arena Dec. 31 to end 2021 with an RMAC match-up against Colorado Christian at 5:30 p.m. Then, to kick-off the New Year on Jan. 1, the Pack face Metropolitan State University Denver at 5:30 p.m.