HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The Colorado State University Pueblo men's basketball team will close out its non-conference portion of its 2024-25 regular season schedule here this week as the ThunderWolves will play two games in the Hoops in Hawai'i Holiday Classic hosted by Hawai'i Pacific University and held at the Shark Tank on the HPU campus.

CSU Pueblo will open the two-day event on Thursday, Dec. 19 with an 11 p.m. MT contest against Alaska-Anchorage, before concluding the event on Friday, Dec. 20 with an 11 p.m. MT game against Hawai'i Pacific. The games in Hawai'i will mark the seventh and eighth non-conference games this season for the Pack as they are 5-1 against non-league foes.

The Pack, who flew to Honolulu on Tuesday morning and will practice Wednesday afternoon at HPU, enters this week's final two games before the Christmas holiday sporting an 8-2 overall record after splitting home Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game last weekend against Chadron State and South Dakota Mines. The Pack fell 66-62 to Chadron State to snap its five-game homecourt win streak but rebounded two days later to post a 68-58 win over South Dakota Mines.

The Pack's 8-2 start to this season is the best for the program since also starting the 2009-10 season with an 8-2 record. Since becoming a four-year school in 1963-64, the Pack has started a season 8-2 through its first 10 games just eight times previously. The other times the Pack has started 8-2 along with this season and in 2009-10 was in 2003-04, 2002-03, 1991-92, 1990-91, 1973-74 and 1965-66. The Pack's all-time best start open a season was 11-1 in 1966-67.

CSU Pueblo's two RMAC wins last weekend improved their league record to 3-1 on the season as the Pack are in a three-way tie for third place in the league standings with Black Hills State and Regis. Both of which are also 3-1 in league. MSU Denver and Mines are each 4-0 this season in RMAC play.

ABOUT THE PACK
Through the first 10 games of the 2024-25 season, the Pack has three players averaging in double figures as senior forward De'Shaun Cooper (San Diego, Calif./Balboa School) and fifth-year senior guard Brevin Walter (Las Vegas, Nev./South Dakota Mines) are each averaging 12.2 points per game. In addition to his 12.2 points per game, Cooper leads the team in rebounding (7.5 boards per game) and field goal percentage (67 percent), which is second-best in the RMAC and has scored in double figures in seven of the Pack's 10 games and leads the team with three double-doubles, including tallying back-to-back double-doubles last weekend to earn this week's RMAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Meanwhile, Walter is averaging 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and is tied for the team lead in made treys with 12 and is seventh in the RMAC in free throw percentage at 82.9 percent and enters this week's action having made 21 consecutive free throws.

The third double-digit scorer for the Pack is senior guard Armon Muldrew (Perris, Calif./San Bernardino Valley). Muldrew is averaging 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field and 81 percent at the free throw and has reached double-digits in scoring six times.

Two other Pack players are averaging over 7.5 points per game this season as redshirt sophomore guard Jaden Kennis (Windsor, Colo./MSU Denver) is averaging 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 40 percent from the field and is tied for the team lead in made treys with 12 and has reached double figures in three games, including a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds at Western Colorado, while junior forward Victor Lado (Louisville, Ky./Vincennes University) is averaging 7.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game and is shooting 64 percent from the field and 77 percent at the free throw line and has reached double figures in two games, including tallying a Pack season-high 30 points against Barclay College.

As a team, the Pack, who coached by sixth-year head coach Matt Hammer, enters this week's action as one of the top scoring teams in the RMAC as they are fifth in the league in scoring at 78.0 points per game, but lead the RMAC and are in the Top 15 nationally in both scoring defense (62.1 points per game) and scoring margin (+15.9 margin). The Pack have scored over 80 points in five of its eight wins, including tallying 109 points in a win over Barclay, and have allowed only three foes – Bethany, New Mexico Highlands and Chadron State – to score 65 or more points in a game as Bethany scored 65 in an 87-65 loss to the Pack, while Highlands scored 85 in its 85-63 win over the Pack and Chadron State scored 66 in last Thursday's 66-62 victory.

While being one of the top scoring offensive and defensive teams in the RMAC, the Pack come into the week leading the league and ranking in the Top 5 nationally in both field goal percentage defense and three-point field goal defense. The Pack's opponents are shooting 36.8 percent from the field and 24 percent from the 3-point line. The Pack is fifth nationally in field goal defense and first nationally in 3-point field goal defense.

Another strength for Pack this season has been their ability to shoot the ball effectively from the floor as the Pack is fifth in the RMAC in field goal percentage as they are shooting 48.1 percent from the field. The Pack has shot over 50 percent from the field in three games and has shot under 40 percent from the field in just one game this season, which came in its 69-56 win at Western Colorado.

On the season, the Pack has shot 20 or more free throws in a game five times and are averaging 19.8 free throws attempts per game, which is fourth best in the RMAC. The Pack shot double-digit free throws in nine of 10 games. In its first four RMAC games, the Pack are shooting 76.4 percent from the free throw line and are making 13.8 free throws per game and shooting 18.0 free throws per game.

ABOUT ALASKA-ANCHORAGE
Alaska-Anchorage comes into Thursday's game with CSU Pueblo having won two of its last three games with the lone loss being a 79-74 home loss in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action against Saint Martin's. The Seawolves, who haven't played since earning a 71-49 home win over Western Oregon on Dec. 7, is sporting a 6-7 overall record and are 1-1 in the GNAC. 

The Seawolves have played eight of its first 13 games at home this season and are sporting a 6-2 home record, but are 0-5 away from home, including being 0-3 on a neutral court. UAA has lost four straight on a neutral courts dating to last season. 

UAA, who was tabbed to finish in a tie for fourth in the Preseason GNAC Coaches' Poll as they earned 69 points, has three players averaging in double figures this season. Junior guard Tyler Burraston leads the team in scoring as he is averaging 13.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 43 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and 85 percent at the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in 11 games, including six straight double-digit scoring games.

In addition to Burraston, senior guard Sean Evans, who is a transfer from UNK and Parker, Colo., native, is averaging 11.8 points and 4.0 assists per game and is shooting 42 percent from the field, 34 percent from the 3-point line and 90 percent from the free throw line and junior forward Bishop Tosi is averaging 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and is shooting 63 percent from the field and has tallied three double-doubles, including two straight games with double-doubles. 

As a team, UAA is averaging 73.8 points per game and are allowing 61.2 points per game. The Seawolves are shooting 45 percent from the field, 33 percent from the 3-point line and 70 percent from the free throw line. They are outrebounding its foes by 3.8 boards per game and are forcing 16.9 turnovers per game and have a +5.6-turnover margin. UAA is also making 9.0 treys per game. Defensively, UAA's foes are shooting 43 percent from field and 33 percent from the 3-point line. 

UAA is coached by Rusty Osborne, who is in his 20th season with the Seawolves and has compiled a 355-221 overall record and has led the program to six NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four berth in 2008 and one GNAC.

Thursday's game with UAA marks the third-ever meeting between the two schools as UAA leads the all-time series, 2-0. The last time the two teams met came on Nov. 10, 2012, as the SeaWolves collected an 85-75 win over the Pack in Anchorage.

ABOUT HAWAI'I PACIFIC SHARKS
Hawai'i Pacific comes into Friday's match-up with the Pack sporting a 5-4 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the PacWest. The Sharks have won three of their last four games with the lone setback being a 78-64 loss at Chaminade this past Saturday. The Sharks opened the season winning just two of its first five games, before their three game win streak prior to the Chaminade loss.

The Sharks are 4-0 at home and have won seven straight home games since suffering a 78-75 loss last season to Point Loma. Since the beginning of last season, the Sharks have posted a 15-3 record on their home court as they were 11-3 at home in 202324 and 4-0 this season. 

Hawai'i Pacific, who was tabbed sixth in the Preseason PacWest Coaches' Poll as they earned 134 points, have four players averaging in double figures on the season with senior guard Sherman Brashear leading the way as he is averaging 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from the 3-point line and 91 percent at the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in six games, including five games scoring 20 or more points.

In addition to Brashear, senior center Jonas Visser is averaging 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 66 percent from the field, while junior guard Joshua West is averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field and 78 percent at the free throw line and has had six double-digit scoring games and tallied a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) against Adelphi and graduate student forward Charlie Weber is averaging 10.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field and 41 percent from the 3-point line.

As a team, HPU is averaging 74.9 points per game and is allowing 72.2 points per game. The Sharks are shooting 47 percent from the field, 36 percent from the 3-point line and 72 percent at the free throw line and is outrebounding its foes by 8.2 boards per game and is turning the ball over nearly 15 times per game. Defensively, the Sharks' foes are shooting 43 percent from the field and 33 percent from the 3-point line. 

The Sharks are coached by Jessie Nakanishi, who is in his second season at HPU and has compiled a 23-15 record, including going 18-11 last season in his first season in 2023-24.

Friday's game with Hawai'i Pacific marks the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

UP NEXT
Following this week's trip to Hawai'i for the Hoops in Hawai'i Holiday Classic, the Pack will take time  off for the Christmas holidays (including an NCAA  mandated five-day break from Dec. 22-27) and  will return to action on Jan. 9, 2025 as they host  Colorado Christian for a 7:30 p.m. RMAC game in Massari Arena.