PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball team continues its five-game homestand this weekend as the ThunderWolves host two games at Massari Arena as part its own Thanksgiving Classic.
 
CSU Pueblo will open the weekend with a 5:30 p.m. game on Friday, Nov. 24 against Eastern New Mexico, before concluding the weekend with a 5 p.m. game on Saturday, Nov. 25 against Baptist Bible College. This weekend's two games will mark the final two non-conference games of the regular season for the Pack.
 
The Pack, who received one vote in this week's D2CSC South Central Regional poll, comes into this weekend's home games sporting a 2-3 overall record after opening its 2023-24 home schedule with a 69-64 come-from-behind win last Saturday against Langston (Okla.) University to conclude the 39th-Annual Al Kaly Shrine Classic. Since opening the season with two setbacks to open the season at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic, the Pack has won two of its last three games, including a 59-58 win over then No. 8 ranked UT Tyler to open the South Central Regional Crossover held at CCU on Nov. 10.
 
In the win against Langston, redshirt junior forward Alisha Little (Aurora, Colo./University of Northern Colorado) tallied a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebound and added a season-high seven blocks en route to being named this week's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for the fifth time in her Pack career.
 
ABOUT THE PACK
Leading the way offensively for the Pack through the first five games of the season is Little, who is averaging 18.6 and 10.2 rebounds per game and is blocking an RMAC-best 3.6 shots per game and is second in the league in rebounding and double-doubles (3).
 
In addition to Little, freshman forward Leilani Love (Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque) is second in scoring as she is averaging 11.8 points per game and is also pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 60 percent from the field and 81 percent at the free throw line and has tallied double figures in three games, including tallying 39 points and eight rebounds over her last two games.
 
The Pack's third double-digit scorer is redshirt junior forward Autumn Watts (Centennial, Colo./McNeese State) is averaging 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 91 percent (19-for-21) from the free throw line.
 
Junior guard Tomia Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Florida Gulf Coast) is among the league leaders in assists as she had dished out 23 assists in five games and leads the team in steals with 10. She is second in the RMAC and ninth nationally in Division II in assists and fourth in the league in assists per game as she averages 4.5 per game. She has had five or more assists in three games, including tallying 14 assists over the last two games.
 
Entering this weekend's action, the Pack are leading the RMAC and are 15th nationally in Division II in blocked shots as they have blocked 45 in five games and are averaging 5.8 blocks per game. The Pack have blocked five or more shots in a game four times, including a season-high nine blocks against Langston last time out.
 
Another strength for the Pack is their three-point shooting defense as their opponents are shooting 25.4 percent (32-for-126) from the 3-point line, which is third-best in the RMAC. The Pack are also fourth in the league in free throw shooting as they are shooting 75.7 percent at the line and are second in the league in both free throws made per game (17.4) and free throw attempts per game (23.0).
 
As a team, the Pack is averaging 62.2 points per game and is allowing 73.4 points per game and is shooting 37 percent from the field and 23 percent from the 3-point line. The Pack are also averaging 39.6 rebounds per game and have a +1.2 rebound margin and have a -7.8 turnover margin and are averaging 12.2 assists per game.
 
ABOUT EASTERN NEW MEXICO
Eastern New Mexico, who is a member of the Lone Star Conference, comes into the weekend having opened the 2023-24 season by winning three of its first four games with its only loss being a 64-58 setback last Saturday at Western Colorado. Prior to that loss to the Mountaineers, the Greyhounds, who are ranked eighth in this week's D2CSC South Central Regional rankings, had opened the season with a 3-0 record with wins over Fort Lewis (78-57), in overtime against New Mexico Highlands (70-64) and an impressive 70-58 win last Friday at Adams State.

Leading the way for the Greyhounds is led by senior guard Zama Nansikombi-Gunter, who is averaging 17.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 51 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free throw line.
 
In addition to Nansikombi-Gunter, three other Greyhounds are averaging in double figures as senior guard/forward Deja Adrian is averaging 15.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 53 percent from the field, while graduate student guard Vanessa Oduah is averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and is shooting 88 percent from the free throw line and freshman guard Jaz Solon is the fourth double-digit scorer at 11.0 points per game and is shooting 40 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 90 percent at the free throw line.
 
As a team, the Greyhounds, who were tabbed to finish 11th in the Preseason LSC poll, are averaging 69.0 points per game and are allowing just 60 points per game. ENMU hasn't allowed more than 64 points in a game this season. The 'Hounds are shooting 44 percent from the field, 32 percent from the 3-point line and 74 percent at the free throw line and is outrebounding its foes by five rebounds per game and are forcing 24.8 turnovers per game and have a +3.5 turnover margin.
 
Eastern New Mexico is coached by first year head coach Blake Huber. Huber came to the Greyhounds after spending the 2022-23 season as the head coach at Texas A&M-Texarkana. In his one season with the Eagles, he led the team with a 29-2 overall record and an undefeated conference record at 20-0 and was named the Red River Conference Coach of the Year and helped the Eagles to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament. He has also been an assistant coach at Arkansas Tech, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Henderson State and Drury University.
 
ABOUT BAPTIST BIBLE
Baptist Bible College, who plays at UCCS on Friday before traveling to Pueblo on Saturday, comes into the weekend sporting a 5-2 overall record with the Lady Patriots two losses coming at Stephens College (80-74) and at home against Williams Baptist (89-60). Saturday's game with CSU Pueblo will mark the third straight exhibition game for Baptist Bible against an NCAA Division II foe as they fell 101-59 in its most recent action at Lincoln (Mo.), before playing UCCS on Friday and the Pack on Saturday.
 
Leading the way offensively for the Lady Patriots is sophomore guard Cassidy Hambelton, who is averaging 17.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 54 percent from the field, 42 percent from the 3-point line and 87 percent from the free throw line.
 
In addition to Hambelton, the other two double-digit scorers for the Lady Patriots are senior forward Josie Sullivan and sophomore forward Abby Woolsey. Sullivan is second in scoring at 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 42 percent from the field and 80 percent at the free throw line and Woolsey is averaging 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 35 percent from the field.
 
As a team, Baptist Bible is averaging 76.3 points and allowing 63.9 points per game. The Lady Patriots are shooting 41 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and 68 percent from the free throw line and is getting outrebounded by 2.3 boards per game and is forcing 25.9 turnovers per game. On defense, Baptist Bible's opponents are shooting 40 percent from the field, 22 percent from the 3-point line and 68 percent at the free throw line.
 
Baptist Bible is coaches by Madi Wallace, who is in her second season with the Lady Patriots and has compiled a 15-20 record, including winning 15 games in her first season in 2022-23.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's game with Eastern New Mexico will mark the 16th all-time meeting between the two schools with Eastern New Mexico holding a slight 8-7 all-time lead in the series. The Greyhounds won the most recent meeting 77-59 between the two schools on Nov. 29, 2019, in Canyon, Texas. The Pack leads 4-2 at home, while the series is tied 2-2 in Portales, N.M. and the Greyhounds hold a 4-3 lead on neutral courts.
 
Saturday's game with Baptist Bible marks the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the hardwood.
 
CSU PUEBLO THANKSGIVING CLASSIC HISTORY
This weekend's Thanksgiving Classic marks the third annual event hosted that begun in 2021. The Pack are 3-1 all-time in the event as they were 1-1 in 2022 and 2-0 in 2021. At last year's event, the Pack opened with a 65-45 loss to Emporia State, before earning a 77-56 win over Wayland Baptist, while in 2021, the Pack earned wins over both the University of the Southwest (97-48) and Friends University (83-45).
 
UP NEXT FOR PACK
Following this weekend's games with Eastern New Mexico and Baptist Bible, the Pack will conclude its five-game homestand with back-to-back RMAC games next weekend against Chadron State on Friday, Dec. 1 at 5:30 p.m., before hosting Colorado Christian on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m.