LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Colorado State University Pueblo men's basketball team was held to season low 63 points here Saturday afternoon as the ThunderWolves suffered an 85-63 setback to New Mexico Highlands in a non-conference game at the John A. Wilson Complex. 

The loss snapped the Pack's four-game win streak to start the season and pushed their record to 4-1 overall, while Highlands improves to 4-1 on the season. Saturday's loss also snapped a four-game regular season road win streak for the Pack.

In Saturday's game, the Pack finished the contest shooting a season-low 41 percent from the field and was 0-for-15 from the 3-point line. In addition, the Pack struggled from the free throw line as they went 19-for-35 (54.3 percent), including 11-for-25 from the line in the second half.

Perhaps the biggest difference in Saturday's game was the Cowboys' ability to turn Pack turnovers into points as NMHU forced the Pack into 14 turnovers that led 25 points, including scoring 21 points off 11 first half turnovers by the Pack to help Highlands take a 43-30 lead at the half.

Freshman forward Jake Lafferty (Bruner, Mo./Sparta) paced the Pack offensively with a season-high 11 points and added six rebounds, while fifth-year senior guard Brevin Walter (Las Vegas, Nev./South Dakota Mines) added 10 points to push his career total to 1,750 points. Walter is the second leading active scorer in Division II men's basketball.

Senior forward De'Shaun Cooper (Poway, Calif./Balboa School) added nine points, while senior guard Armon Muldrew (Perris, Calif./San Bernardino Valley) and junior forward Victor Lado (Louisville, Ky./Vincennes University). Muldrew, who entered the game shooting 53 percent from the field, finished the game 2-for-12 from the field, including going 0-for-2 from the 3-point line.

The Pack jumped out to a 10-6 lead just four-plus minutes into the game, before NMHU used a 7-0 lead to take a 13-10 lead with 13:16 left in the opening half.

CSU Pueblo, though, responded with a 6-0 run capped by a lay-up from junior guard Denim Johnson (Omaha, Neb./Trinity Valley CC) to take a 16-13 lead with 11:17 left in the period. After Kenard Richardson tied the game on a trey, the Pack used a free throw by Cooper and two from Muldrew to retake the lead at 19-18 with 9:55 left.

That would be the final lead of the game for the Pack as the Cowboys closed the first half on a 25-12 run to take its 43-30 lead at the half. It marked the first time this season the Pack had trailed at the half.

The Pack entered Saturday's game having trailed for a total of two minutes and 53 minutes on the season, but they trailed for nearly 32 minutes against NMHU.

In the second half, the Pack shot 40.7 percent from the field and were 0-for-6 from the 3-point line and outscored 42-33 by the Cowboys.

Blessin Kimble paced the Cowboys with 20 points, while Kyrie Thomas and Daniel Rosenber each tallied 13 points and Ja'Kown Hill added 10 points in the win. The Highlands bench outscored the Pack's bench, 36-18, on the day.

The Cowboys finished the game shooting 50.7 percent (35-for-69) from the field and 40 percent (10-for-25) from the 3-point line. The Pack entered the game second in Division II in field goal percentage defense (32.5 percent) and was fifth in Division II in 3-point field goal defense (21.7 percent.

The Pack did win the rebound battle, 39-30, as redshirt sophomore guard/forward Jaden Kennis (Windsor, Colo./MSU Denver) pulled down a team-high seven boards. The Pack also had a season-low 10 assists on a season-low 22 made baskets.

NMHU finished with 15 assists and 10 steals for the game.

While the Pack struggled at the free throw, so too, did Highlands as they finished the game shooting 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Pack will look to start a new win streak this coming Tuesday as they return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 26 as they host Bethany (Kan.) College for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference game in Massari Arena. That will be the Pack's final game in November before starting RMAC play on Dec. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah, against Westminster University.