PUEBLO, Colo. – For the first time since the 2022-23 season, the Colorado State University Pueblo men's basketball team has opened a season 4-0 following its 109-50 victory over Barclay College here Thursday evening in a non-conference tilt at Massari Arena.
 
Along with opening the season 4-0 for the second time in the last three seasons and is the lone remaining undefeated team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Pack topped the century mark for 10th time since the 2019-20 season and first time since tallying 103 points in a 103-97 win at Adams State on Dec. 8, 2023.
 
The 59-point win is the third largest for the Pack in the six-year era of head coach Matt Hammer as they won by 61 points last season at home against Oklahoma Panhandle State (100-39) and in 2022-23 at home against Bacone College (103-35).
 
In Thursday's win, the Pack, who never trailed in the game, played all 12 of its healthy players and 12 of those players scored in the game, including three finishing in double figures. Junior forward Victor Lado (Louisville, Ky./Vincennes University) paced the way with a Pack season-high 30 points and added three blocks in 22 minutes of action, while junior guard Kesean Bazile (Victorville, Calif./West Hills Lemoore) added a career-high 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 23 minutes. The Pack bench scored 64 points in the game.
 
The third double-digit scorer was senior forward De'Shaun Cooper (Poway, Calif./Balboa School) as he tallied his second career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Freshman forward Jake Lafferty (Bruner, Mo./Spata) just missed his second double-figure scoring game this season as he tallied nine points.
 
For the game, seven Pack players scored seven or more points and five different Pack players hit a trey in the contest as the Pack were 9-for-22 (41 percent) from the 3-point line. Bazile hit five of those nine 3-pointers in the game.
 
The game was close in the opening two minutes, before the Pack, who earned five votes in this week's NABC Division II Coaches Poll, used 12-2 run to turn a slim 5-4 lead into a 17-6 advantage following a dunk from freshman guard/forward Jordan Blair (Keller, Texas/Keller Central) with 13:59 left in the opening half.
 
After a trey from Jameer Satchell brought the Bears back within 17-9, the Pack 21-10 run over the next eight-plus minutes to push out to a 38-19 lead following a trey by Lafferty. Following a lay-up by Will Ware that stopped the Pack run, the home team responded by closing the first half by scoring 10 straight points to hold a 48-21 halftime lead. 
 
In the opening half, the Pack shot 61 percent from the field but were just 2-for-7 from the 3-point line and were 6-for-11 at the free throw line and forced 11 turnovers that led to 13 points. The Pack held a 32-10 edge in points in the paint in the first half.
 
The Pack would outscore the Bears, 61-29, in the second half as they shot 60 percent from the field and 47 percent from the 3-point line and reached the century mark on two free throws by Lado with 3:42 left in the game. Lado's two free throws gave the Pack a 100-44 lead.
 
The Pack bench scored 47 of their 61 second half points as Lado and Bazile combined for 38 points as Lado tallied 22 and Bazile had 16 points. Junior guard Sam Howery (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary's) had five points, five assists and four rebounds in the second half. He finished with seven points, five rebounds, and a career-high tying six assists.
 
Barclay, who will play at Colorado Christian on Friday and at UCCS on Saturday, was paced offensively by 22 points from Satchell, who prepped at Palmer High School in Colorado Springs. Isaiah Martinez-Wells scored 14 points off the bench for the Bears, who are 0-4 this season against NCAA Division II schools.
 
The Bears finished the game shooting just 30 percent from the field and 20 percent (4-for-20) from the 3-point line in the game. The Pack entered the game second in Division II in field goal percentage defense (33.3 percent) and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (22.2 percent).
 
CSU Pueblo held a 48-32 edge on the boards as along with Copper's career-high 12 boards, Bazile had seven, while Howery and redshirt sophomore guard Landen Dvorsky (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) each had five boards in the win.
 
The Pack also collected 10 steals and forced 19 turnovers that led to 27 points. The Pack had eight turnovers and dished out 33 assists on 44 made baskets.
 
Howery's six assists led the way, while Dvorsky, Bazile and sophomore guard Shad Levy (Baton Rouge, La./Dunham) each had five assists.
 
Both teams struggled at the free throw line as the Pack were 12-for-20 (60 percent) at the line, while Barclay was just 8-for-13 (62 percent) from the line.
 
The Pack will look to improve to 5-0 on the season as they hit the road for the first time in the 2024-25 season as they travel to Las Vegas, N.M., for a 1 p.m. non-conference game against New Mexico Highlands (3-1).