PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball hits the road for the first time in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this weekend as they travel to Alamosa and Durango for games against Adams State and Fort Lewis.
 
The ThunderWolves, who are playing its first true road games of the 2023-23 season, open the weekend with a 5:30 p.m. game on Friday, Dec. 8 against Adams State, before playing a 4 p.m. game on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Fort Lewis.
 
CSU Pueblo comes into the weekend having won four of its last five games to push its record to 5-4 overall and 1-1 in the RMAC after opening league play last weekend at home by splitting games against Chadron State and Colorado Christian. The Pack opened RMAC play with a 62-52 win over Chadron State last Friday, before suffering a 78-67 loss on Saturday to Colorado Christian. The loss to CCU snapped a season-high four-game win streak for the Pack.
 
This weekend's two games will mark the fifth and sixth road games of the season, but the first time the Pack will play games on an opponent's home court as the Pack's first four road contests this season were neutral site games.
 
ABOUT THE PACK
The Pack comes into this weekend's action with two players averaging in double figures on the season as redshirt junior forward Alisha Little (Aurora, Colo./University of Northern Colorado) leading the way as she is third in the RMAC in scoring (17.7 ppg) and second in the RMAC in rebounding (10.7 rpg) and leads Division II women's basketball with six double-doubles and leads the RMAC in blocked shots a 3.1 per game. Little, who has earned the last three RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, is shooting 44 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line and has scored in double figures in all nine games, including four games with 20 or more points. She also has posted double-doubles in two straight games and four times in her last five games.
 
In addition to Little, the other double-digit scorer for the Pack is junior guard Landri Hudson (Aurora, Colo./University of Wyoming). Hudson is averaging 11.9 points per game and is shooting 43 percent from the field and is second in the RMAC in 3-pont field goal percentage as she shoots 46.7 percent from long distance and is 10-for-11 (91 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Two other Pack players – freshman forward Leilani Love (Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque) and redshirt junior forward Autumn Watts (Centennial, Colo./McNeese State) – each are averaging over 9.0 points per game on the year. Love is averaging 9.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 54 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free throw line and has had four double-digit scoring efforts, including a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds against Baptist Bible, while Watts is averaging 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 37 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line and is second in blocked shots with 11.
 
As a team, the Pack are one of the top defensive team in the league as they continue to lead the RMAC and are 11th nationally in blocked shots as they are averaging 5.6 blocks per game as they have blocked 50 shots in nine games. Additionally, the Pack is also second in the league in field goal percentage defense (35.9 percent) and fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.3 percent). The Pack are 5-1 this season when their opponents shoot less than 40 percent from the field and are 3-1 when they make more 3-pointers than their opponent makes.
 
The Pack are fourth in the league in creating turnovers as they are forcing 19.2 per game and are third in the RMAC in steals as they are averaging 11.0 per game. The Pack have forced 20 or more turnovers in four games, including three times over its last four games and have collected double-digit steals in four straight games and in seven of their nine games overall.
 
Offensively, the Pack are averaging 64.1 points per game and are shooting 38 percent from the field, 28 percent from the 3-point line and 76 percent at the free throw line. The Pack are making 14.9 free throws per game, which is second-best in the RMAC.
 
CSU Pueblo is coached by Tommie Johnson, who is in his fifth season as the Pack's women's basketball coach. In his four-plus seasons directing the Pack women's program, Johnson, who spent 10 seasons as an assistant men's basketball coach from 2008-16, has compiled a 53-60 overall record and is 39-45 in RMAC games.
 
ABOUT ADAMS STATE
Adams State comes into this weekend's action sporting a 7-3 overall record and a 2-0 in the RMAC after opening league play with road wins over Western Colorado (71-69) last Friday and at Fort Lewis (76-56) on Tuesday. The Grizzlies have won four straight games since losing back-to-back games at home to Eastern New Mexico (70-58) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (69-66) in mid-November.
 
The Grizzlies are one of the top offensive teams in the RMAC as they are second in the league in scoring at 72.7 points per game and lead the league in both 3-point field goal percentage (38.3 percent) and free throw percentage (80.9 percent). In addition, ASU is second in the league in field goal percentage as they are shooting 42.7 percent from the field on the year.
 
Defensively, the Grizzlies are also among the league leaders in turnovers forced per game as they are second in the league at 22.6 and are second in the league in both blocks per game at 4.1 and steals per game at 13.1.
 
Leading the way offensively for the Grizzlies is sophomore guard Harmanie Dominguez, who is averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field, 46 percent from the 3-point line and 89 percent at the free throw line. Dominguez is second in the league in 3-pointers made per game (3.6) and is second in the league in 3-pointers attempted (78).
 
In addition to Dominguez, the Grizzlies other two double-digit scorers this season are junior guard Riahana Davis and junior guard Angeline Nageak. Davis is averaging 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and is shooting 46 percent from the floor, 39 percent from long distance and 83 percent at the free throw line, while Nageak is averaging 11.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.1 steals per game and is shooting 43 percent from the floor, 43 percent from the 3-point line and 88 percent at the free throw line.
 
Adams State, who was tabbed to finish fourth in the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll as the Grizzlies earned 164 points, is coached by Mario Caetano. Caetano is in his third season with the Grizzlies and he has compiled a 40-27 record and was named the RMAC Coach of the Year last season after leading ASU to a spot in the RMAC Tournament semifinals as the Grizzlies finished with a 21-9 overall record, which was tied for the most wins in school history.
 
Friday's game will mark the first of two contests this season between the two schools as the Pack will host the Grizzlies at Massari Arena on Feb. 10. The Pack holds a 26-4 all-time record in the series and has won eight of the last 10 games in the series, but ASU won the most recent meeting, 74-54, in Alamosa on Feb. 4, 2023.
 
ABOUT FORT LEWIS
Fort Lewis, who hosts New Mexico Highlands on Friday before facing the Pack on Saturday, comes into this weekend's action sporting a 4-4 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the RMAC after opening league play with a 68-47 win at Western Colorado last Saturday and suffered a 76-56 home loss on Tuesday to Adams State. The Skyhawks, who are 3-2 at home this season, have won four of its last five games with the lone loss coming against Adams State.
 
The Skyhawks are one of the top defensive teams in the RMAC as they are second in the league in scoring defense as they are allowing 57.8 points per game. In addition, they lead the league and are eighth nationally in Division II in steals as they average 14.9 per game and have five players with 10 or more steals, including two with 20 or more steals on the year.
 
Fort Lewis also leads the league in turnovers forced per game as they are forcing 24.3 per game and are third in the league in field goal percentage defense as their foes are shooting just 37.5 percent from the floor.
 
Offensively, Fort Lewis is averaging 65.3 points per game and is shooting 36 percent from the field and 29 percent from the 3-point line and are fifth in the league in free throw shooting at 76.9 percent. The Skyhawks are third in the league in rebounding as they average 38.0 boards per game and lead the league in offensive rebounds per game as they average 13.3 offensive boards per contest.
 
Leading the way offensively for the Skyhawks is senior forward Kelsey Sorensen, who is averaging 15.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw. Sorensen has missed the last five games for the Skyhawks due to injury and her status for this weekend is unknown.
 
The second double-digit scorer for the Skyhawks is sophomore guard Lanae Billy, who is averaging 14.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game and is shooting 39 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 76 percent at the free throw line. Billy leads the team in steals with 27.
 
A third Skyhawk, redshirt junior forward Lilly Pepper, averages over 9.0 points per game as she enters the weekend averaging 9.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. She is shooting 53 percent from the field and 82 percent at the free throw line.
 
Fort Lewis, who was tabbed to finish eighth in the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll with 91 points, is coached by Taylor Harris, who is in his third season with the Skyhawks. He has compiled a 15-48 record at Fort Lewis. Prior to working at Fort Lewis, Harris came from Miles Community College, where he guided the 2020-21 Pioneers to a Region XIII Championship, a 24-2 overall record and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament. Harris was also a women's assistant coach at Regis from 2015-19) and spent six years (2009-15) as a men's assistant coach at MSU Denver.
 
Saturday's game will mark the first of two meetings this season between the two schools as the Pack host the Skyhawks at Massari Arena on Feb. 9. CSU Pueblo holds a 19-16 edge in the series, but Fort Lewis won the most recent match-up, 72-53 in Durango on Feb. 3, 2023. The Pack have won six of the last 10 games in the series, but is just 8-10 all-time in Durango. The Pack are 11-6 in the series at home against the Skyhawks.
  
UP NEXT FOR PACK
Following this weekend's two road games in RMAC play, the Pack will return home to face South Dakota Mines next Friday, Dec. 15 in a 5:30 game in Massari Arena to close out the first semester schedule.