LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball was outscored 8-3 over the final three-and-half minutes of the game here Tuesday evening as the ThunderWolves suffered a disappointing 54-51 setback to New Mexico Highlands in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action at the John A. Wilson Complex.
 
The loss was the fourth straight for CSU Pueblo as they fall to 8-8 overall and 5-5 in the RMAC, while Highlands improved to 9-8 overall and 4-7 in the league. The four game losing skid is the longest for the Pack since losing six consecutive games during the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020-21.
 
In Tuesday's game, which was the third road game in five days for the Pack, CSU Pueblo was outrebounded, 41-24 and was 6-for-31 (19.4 percent) from the 3-point line, including a 2-for-14 effort from long distance in the second half. In addition, Highlands held a 24-7 advantage in free throws as the Cowgirls were 19-for-24 at the line, while CSU Pueblo was 3-for-7 at the line.
 
Sophomore guard Landri Hudson (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) paced the Pack offensively with 13 points, four rebounds and four steals, while graduate student forward Charisse Fairley (Colorado Springs, Colo./Fresno State) added 12 points. Two ThunderWolves - sophomore guard Daeja Johnson (Queen Creek, Ariz./Casteele) and graduate student guard JaNaiya Davis (Hewitt, Texas/Midway) each had nine points on the night. Davis also had a team-high six rebounds and collected four assists.
 
After trailing 46-40 just a little under two minutes into the fourth period, the Pack would score eight straight points, including retaking the lead at 48-46 on a lay-up by Hudson with 3:51 left in the game. Davis had tied the game at 46 on a lay-up with 5:09 remaining in the final period.
 
In fact, Hudson scored four of CSU Pueblo's eight points during the run, including starting the run with a with a lay-up at the 7:49 mark of the quarter. The lay-up snapped a nearly four minute scoreless streak for the Pack.
 
Following Hudson's lay-up that gave the Pack the lead, Highlands' Krystina Hagood would hit two free throws with 3:24 left to retie the game at 48. The tie was the sixth and final one of the game.
 
About 45 seconds later, Juliana Aragon gave the Cowgirls a 50-48 lead on a lay-up with 2:39 left in the game and the led grew to 52-48 following two free throws by Delani Harris with a minute left in the game.
 
The Cowgirls' lead grew to 54-48 on two free throws by Aragon with 42 seconds left, before Fairley would drill a trey with 28 seconds left to pull the Pack within 54-51.
 
On the ensuing possession, the Cowgirls' turned the ball over and the Pack had a shot to tie the game, but a three-pointer from graduate student Morgan Dial (Denver City, Texas/Denver City) was shot with 11 seconds remaining.
 
The Pack had one more chance to tie the game following two missed free throws by the Cowgirls, but Davis' game-tying trey from the top-of-the-key was partially blocked to sealed Highlands' victory.
 
CSU Pueblo jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening three minutes of the game, before Highlands used a 12-4 run to take a 12-10 lead with 2:40 left in the opening quarter.
 
A basket from Fairley with 1:03 left in the opening period helped the Pack tie the game at 12 after the opening 10 minutes of play.
 
The Pack would open the second quarter by scoring the first six points to push out to an 18-12 lead as Davis scored four of the six points in the quarter for CSU Pueblo. NMHU responded by scoring 10 of the next 13 points to take a 22-21 lead with 3:45 left in the period.
 
A trey from Davis helped jump start a 5-0 run by the Pack to push CSU Pueblo's lead to 26-22 with 2:45 left, but NMHU answered back by scoring five consecutive points to take a 27-26 lead. The Pack led 28-27 at the half.
 
After leading 28-27 at the half, CSU Pueblo opened the third quarter by scoring four straight points to take 32-27 lead, before NMHU responded with 7-0 run to retake the lead at 34-32 with 5:56 left in the period.
 
Following the lead by the Cowgirls, Fairley drilled a trey to give the Pack a 35-34 lead with 5:35 left in the quarter.
 
A little over a minute later, NMHU retook the lead on a hook shot by Neysa Munguia with 4:20 left in the period. Munguia would hit a free throw with 3:39 left to give the Cowgirls a 37-35 lead.
 
The Pack would respond with a 4-2 run to close the quarter to hold a 40-39 lead heading into the final period.
 
Aragon paced Highlands offensively with a game-high 28 points as she was 8-for-15 from the field and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. In addition to Aragon, Munguia and Harris each had nine points and Hagood added eight points. Hagood (15) and Harris (10) combined for 25 of NMHU's 41 rebounds.
 
For the game, CSU Pueblo outshot the Cowgirls from the field, 36 percent to 34 percent, but Highlands was 3-for-13 (23 percent) from the 3-point line, while the Pack was 6-for-31 from long distance.
 
CSU Pueblo forced Highlands into 17 turnovers that led to 13 points and they had nine steals in the game. Highlands forced nine turnovers and had four steals.
 
The Pack will look to halt its four-game losing skid as they return home to Massari Arena for a 5:30 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 14 as they host Western Colorado (4-9 overall, 3-5 RMAC).