PUEBLO, Colo. (March 1, 2022) – After trailing for over 21 minutes straight, the Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball team (22-7) was able to outlast Black Hills State (18-10) and claim a 59-52 victory in the opening round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament. The win is the Pack's first RMAC Tournament win since the 2017-18 season.
 
Ro Dominguez started the night off for the ThunderWolves with a 3-pointer and got the rambunctious CSU Pueblo home crowd loud early. The Pack jumped to a 7-2 run after a 7-0 run early, but then felt the wrath of Yellow Jackets shooters.
 
The ThunderWolves exited the first quarter trailing Black Hills State 13-7 but were not backing down.
 
After an Alisha Davis layup to kick-off the quarter, the Yellow Jackets hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead back to seven points. Davis answered with her own 3-pointer and kept the Pack and their crowd in the game.
 
At the 5:49 mark, Davis nailed another 3-pointer and was followed by another from Dominguez. The Pack were able to keep it close through the end of the second frame and entered the halftime break trailing 24-21.
 
The ThunderWolves went into the third quarter looking to make another offensive spurt. JaNaiya Davis, Tomia Johnson, Kansas Watts and Dominguez hit big shots down the stretch in the third quarter to trim the deficit from seven points to an eventual tied ballgame. 
 
Despite Johnson hitting five more straight points for the Pack, Black Hills State was still able to take a 44-40 lead headed into the final quarter of play.
 
JaNaiya Davis and Jazzy Hughes were able to supply the energy boost needed for CSU Pueblo. The Pack outscored the Yellow Jackets 12-4 in the first 7:45 of the fourth quarter thanks to two 3-pointers from JaNaiya Davis and a couple of strong baskets by Hughes.
 
After the modest three-point Pack lead was dwindled down to one with 2:12 to play. JaNaiya Davis drove down the lane and dished an assist to Alisha Davis with 55 seconds to go in the game.
 
The ThunderWolves stopped the Yellow Jackets' ensuing possession and after clutched free throws from JaNaiya Davis and Hughes iced it, CSU Pueblo emerged with a 59-52 victory in the opening round of the RMAC Tournament.
 
CSU Pueblo's thrilling RMAC Tournament win at home is the first since the 2017-18 season that featured the Pack eventually running the table and finishing with 25 wins. 
 
Alisha Davis finished with a team-high 16 points after 14 of them came in the first half. The junior pulled down five rebounds, tallied two blocks, dished two assists and nabbed a steal. 
 
JaNaiya Davis racked up 14 crucial points for the ThunderWolves and dished out five assists while swiping three steals and totaling two blocks. 
 
Hughes pulled down a team-high eight rebounds on top of seven points scored. Johnson and Dominguez rounded out the scoring efforts with eight points and seven points, respectively.
 
CSU Pueblo look to keep the momentum, as the team travels back up north to Golden, Colo. for a rubber match against the top-seeded Colorado School of Mines squad. The Pack split the regular season with the Orediggers with a win at home in late January and loss in Golden just a week prior.
 
The Pack tip-off with the Orediggers at 5:30 p.m. Friday night in the semfinals match-up.