PUEBLO, Colo. - The Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball squad looks to get back in the hunt in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play as the ThunderWolves begin a three-game homestand at Massari Arena this weekend. 

The ThunderWolves, who have been playing well as of late, winning three out of their last four games, open the weekend with a challenging test, welcoming eighth-ranked Colorado School of Mines at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12, and then continues the homestand on Saturday, Jan. 13 with a 4 p.m. game against MSU Denver and concludes the homestand with a 5:30 p.m. game on Tuesday, Jan. 16 against New Mexico Highlands. 

CSU Pueblo enters the weekend sporting an 8-7 overall record and a 3-4 mark in the RMAC after splitting games last weekend on the road as the Pack fell 74-59 last Friday at Colorado Mesa and then earned a 67-58 win last Saturday at Westminster. 

This weekend's two home games will give the ThunderWolves a chance to get their conference record back above .500 and a chance to climb their way up the standings in the RMAC. CSU Pueblo currently sits in ninth place in conference play, but are only a couple games back of being in the hunt.

The Pack enter these weekend's games after earning the 700th win in program history in their last game against Westminster. The Pack have posted an all-time record of 700-675 and is 446-338 in RMAC games.

ABOUT THE PACK
The Pack enter this weekend's action with two players averaging in double figures, led by redshirt junior forward Alisha Little (Aurora, Colo./University of Northern Colorado) as she is coming off being named Defensive Player of the Week from the RMAC on Monday after wins against New Mexico Highlands and Westminster in which she recorded double-doubles. Little leads the Pack averaging 18.5 points per game, along with 11.3 rebounds per game, and 3.7 blocks per game. She is third in the conference in scoring and second in the league in the rebounding category. Little leads all of NCAA Division II women's basketball in double-doubles with 10 and leads the RMAC and Division II in total blocked shots with 56.

To help compliment Little in scoring is CSU Pueblo's spark off the bench, freshman forward Leilani Love (Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque). Love is averaging 10.3 points and just under five rebounds per game. She is shooting 57 percent from the field and has scored in double figures in four of her last five games. Defensively, she is third on the team in blocked shots with 12.

Redshirt junior forward Autumn Watts (Centennial, Colo./McNeese State University) has also been a solid scoring option as she is averaging 9.4 points and is second on the team in rebounding pulling down 5.7 boards per game. Watts is coming off a strong performance at Westminster as she had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and added five rebounds and two steals.

As a squad, the ThunderWolves are one of the best defensive units in the RMAC and in the nation. They lead the RMAC and are fourth nationally in Division II in blocked shots as they average 5.9 per game. The Pack have 89 blocks in 15 games this season, including 11 games with five or more blocks. In addition, the Pack are second in the conference defensively in field goal percentage, holding their opponents to just 37 percent shooting from the field.

The Pack are also one of the better rebounding teams in the conference coming in at fourth in the league with 39.3 rebounds per game. Black Hills State leads the conference in rebounding as they average 40.8 per game.

Junior guard Tomia Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Florida Gulf Coast) is among the conference leaders in both steals and assists this season as she averages 2.3 steals per game and commands the offense with 4.2 assists per game. Johnson is ninth in the RMAC in steals per game and ranks third in assists per game.

Offensively the ThunderWolves are middle of the pack in scoring, coming in ninth averaging 65.7 points per game and are shooting 39 percent from the field, 25 percent from behind the arc, and 73 percent from the free throw line.

CSU Pueblo is coached by Tommie Johnson, who in in his fifth season leading the Pack. In his tenure at CSU Pueblo as a head coach, Johnson has put together a 56-63 overall record, and an RMAC record of 42-49. Johnson also spent 10 seasons as an assistant for the men's program from 2008-16.

ABOUT MINES
Colorado School of Mines comes into this Friday's game with the Pack sitting in first place in the RMAC as they are sporting a 12-1 overall record and a 7-0 mark in league play. The Orediggers come into this game ranked eighth in this week's WBCA Division II Coaches' Top 25 Poll. 

Mines rolls into Friday's game riding a 10-game winning streak and are one of the top offensive teams in the league. The Orediggers lead the RMAC in scoring at 75.4 points per game, shoot 41 percent from the field, and lead the league in three-point percentage at 38 percent per game. Mines also leads the league in made three-pointers per game as they average 8.5 per game. In 13 games, the Orediggers have made 111 shots from behind the arc.

Despite being undefeated in RMAC play, the Orediggers are near the bottom in scoring defense as they come in 14th in the league as they are allowing 68.1 points per game. Rebounding wise, the Orediggers rank ninth in league play averaging 35.2 boards per game.

Leading the way offensively for Mines is redshirt senior guard Ashley Steffeck, who is third in the conference in scoring at 18.3 point per game, only trailing Little and Adams State's Harmanie Dominguez. Steffeck is also one of the better rebounders in the conference as she ranks ninth in the league in rebounds as she is averaging 6.7 boards per game. Steffeck, who has earned three RMAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades this season, has scored in double figures in 12 games, including tallying 20 or more points in six games with a high game of 31 points against St. Edward's. She also recorded a double-double in that win over St. Edwards as she added 13 rebounds to go with her 31 points. 

Joining Steffeck in double-digit scoring for Mines is redshirt sophomore guard Jenna Siebert who is averaging 12.1 points per game. Siebert is another good rebounding guard, as she pulls down 4.8 boards a game. Siebert ranks second on the team in field goal percentage at 38 percent and second in three-point percentage at 35 percent. 

Mines is coached by Brittany Simpson, who is in her 12th season with the Orediggers. She has compiled a 210-115 record at Mines and has led the program to three RMAC Championships and has earned three RMAC Coach of the Year honors. 

Friday's game will be the only regular season match-up of the year between the two schools as CSU Pueblo leads the all-time series, 38-25. Mines, though, has won eight of the last 10 match-ups in the series, including earning a 94-58 win last season in Golden, Colo., on Jan. 6, 2023. The Pack leads the series, 20-9 at home, while Mines leads the series, 17-16, on its homecourt. 

ABOUT MSU DENVER
MSU Denver, who plays at New Mexico Highlands on Friday night before traveling to Pueblo to face the Pack, comes into the weekend in the midst of a five-game losing streak that has dropped its record to 2-9 overall and 1-5 in the RMAC. The Roadrunners, whose only win in RMAC play came at home to Westminster (52-47) on Dec. 1, has only played one game in the New Year as they suffered a 78-63 loss at home to Chadron State last Friday. 

MSU Denver is one of the youngest teams in the league as the Roadrunners do not have a single senior on their squad.

The Roadrunners are one of the better teams in the league on defense as they are sixth in the league in scoring defense as they are allowing just 63.8 points per game. They also are among the league leaders in defensive rebounding as they average 26.5 defensive boards per game. 

Offensively, the Roadrunners have struggled to score this season as they are averaging just 51.4 points per game and have scored over 60 points in four games, but has tallied 60 or more points in three consecutive games, including tying a season high with 64 points in a 65-64 setback at home to Mines on Dec. 13. Additionally, MSU Denver is shooting 35 percent from the field, 25 percent from the 3-point line and 69 percent at the free throw line and are making 4.0 treys per game. 

The Roadrunners are led offensively by sophomore guard Mikylah Espinosa, who averages 11.2 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game. Espinosa has started all 11 games for the Roadrunners and plays 29.9 minutes a night. Espinosa has scored in double figures four out of her last five games with a season high of 17 points against Seattle Pacific.

Joining Espinosa as the other double-digit scorer for MSU Denver is sophomore forward Brianna Sealy, who averages 10.2 points per game. Sealy leads the team in field goal percentage at 47 percent and leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 boards per game. Sealy has scored in double figures five times this season with a season high of 19 points against Eckerd. 

MSU Denver is coached by Tanya Haave who is in her 14th season leading the Roadrunners. Haave, who is a three-time RMAC Coach of the Year (2011, 2012, 2018) and is a product of the prestigious Tennessee Volunteers Women's Basketball program, has amassed a 273-224 overall record with MSU Denver. 

Saturday's contest between CSU Pueblo and MSU Denver will be the only regular season match-up of the year between the two teams. MSU Denver leads the all-time series 14-9 against the ThunderWolves and the Roadrunners have won four straight games in the series, including picking up a 58-42 win last season in Denver. MSU Denver leads the series, 6-5 in Pueblo and also leads 6-4 in Denver. 

UP NEXT FOR THE PACK
Following this weekend's games with Mines and MSU Denver, the Pack will conclude the three-game homestand with a 5:30 p.m. game on Tuesday, Jan. 16 against New Mexico Highlands. Tuesday's game will be the second meeting this season between the two schools as the Pack collected an 82-47 home non-conference win over the Cowgirls on New Year's Eve in Massari Arena. Following Tuesday's game, the Pack will play a 5 p.m. game on Friday, Jan. 19 in Gunnison, Colo., against Western Colorado.