PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball used a dominant second half here on New Year's Eve to post an impressive 82-47 non-conference victory over New Mexico Highlands to close out the 2023 calendar year at Massari Arena.

With the win, the ThunderWolves head into 2024 riding a two-game winning streak as they improved their record to 7-6 on the season, while New Mexico Highlands fell to 3-9 on the season. The Pack concluded its regular season non-conference schedule with a 5-3 record, which is the best mark for the Pack since going 4-2 in 2021-22.

Sunday's game, which marked the final regular season non-conference contest for the Pack, was won in the second half by the Pack scored a season-high 54 points after halftime and held the Cowgirls to just 24 points, including allowing just nine points in the third quarter to the visitors as the Pack expanded its 28-23 halftime lead to 56-32 heading into the final quarter.

The Pack scored a season-high 28 points in the third quarter and then tallied 26 points in the fourth quarter. The 54 second half points bettered the Pack's previous season high of 43 at Adams State on Dec. 8.

In Sunday's New Year's Eve game, redshirt junior forward Alisha Little (Aurora, Colo./University of Northern Colorado) led the way as she tallied her ninth double-double of the season with a game-high 21 points and added 13 rebounds. She also blocked five shots in the win. The double-double was her second straight and her fifth in her last six games. Little had 17 points and 10 rebounds after halftime.

Along with Little's double-double, redshirt junior forward Autumn Watts (Centennial, Colo./McNeese State) added a season-high 17 points and eight rebounds, while freshman forward Leilani Love (Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque) added 14 points and five rebounds in the win.

After New Mexico Highlands closed the second quarter on an 8-2 run to trim the Pack's halftime lead to 28-23, the Pack opened the third quarter by scoring nine of the first 11 points to push its lead to 37-25 with 7:21 left in the quarter. Little scored four of the nine points during the run that was capped by a three-pointer from junior guard Landri Hudson (Aurora, Colo./Wyoming), who tallied eight points in the game.

Following a lay-up by Maleh Rivas brought the Cowgirls' within 10 at 37-27, the Pack responded with a 15-3 run capped by a lay-up from Little with 2:54 left in the period to give the Pack a 52-30 lead. Little scored nine of the Pack's points during the run.

The Pack's lead would grow to 56-32 at the end of the third quarter thanks to a lay-up by Watts and two free throws from graduate student guard Romola Dominguez (Denver, Colo./Central Arkansas). Dominguez finished with nine points, including a 7-for-7 effort at the free throw line and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

CSU Pueblo opened the fourth quarter on an 11-5 run capped by a trey from junior guard Yara Garcia (Scottsbluff, Neb./Western Nebraska CC) to push out to a 65-37 lead with 6:16 left in the game.

The Cowgirls would answer back by scoring 10 of the next 12 points to cut the Pack's lead to 67-47, but the ThunderWolves responded by closing out the game on a 13-0 run to seal its 35 point win. The 35 point win was its largest margin of victory this season.

Aja Scott, who finished with a team-high 15 points for the Cowgirls, kept NMHU in the game in the first half as she drilled four treys for 12 of the Cowgirls' 23 first half points.

NMHU held a brief 5-4 lead just three minutes into the game and the game was tied at 8-all with 3:14 left in the first quarter, when the Pack closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 15-8 after the opening 10 minutes of play. Little and Love combined for four points each in the quarter.

The Cowgirls made three treys and shot 42 percent from the field in the second quarter to outscore the Pack, 15-13, to cut CSU Pueblo's lead to 28-23 at the half, including capping the first half with a 30-foot three-pointer by Amaris Valadez that just beat the buzzer.

In addition to Scott, Michaela Martinez added eight points off the bench, while the Pack held NMHU's leading scorer Juliana Aragon to four points on 0-for-5 shooting from the field. All four of Aragon's points came at the free throw line.

For the game, the Pack shot 41 percent from the field and 26 percent (6-for-23) from the 3-point line and 69 percent (18-for-26) from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Highlands shot 28 percent from the field, 35 percent (8-for-23) from the 3-point line and 63 percent (5-for-8) from the free throw line.

The Pack held a 54-35 edge on the boards, including collecting 21 offensive rebounds that led to 12 second chance points. The Pack also dished out a season-high 21 assists, including seven by junior guard Tomia Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Florida Gulf Coast).

Highlands committed 20 turnovers, while the Pack had just 15 turnovers. Highlands, though, held a 22-18 edge in points off turnovers. CSU Pueblo also had 14 steals in the win with Johnson leading the way with four, while Little and Watts each had three.

The Pack, who leads the RMAC in blocked shots, added six more to its total on the season as they have now blocked 77 shots in 13 games. Highlands finished with four blocks in Sunday's contest.

CSU Pueblo will now turn its full attention to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play the remainder of the 2023-24 season as they open the New Year next weekend with a 5:30 road game on Friday, Jan. 5 in Grand Junction, Colo., against Colorado Mesa and a 5 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 6 in Salt Lake City, Utah, against Westminster.