PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball team looks to expand off their big upset win last Friday over the Regis Rangers. The ThunderWolves are back in action this weekend as they host Fort Lewis at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and Adams State at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at Massari Arena in a crucial couple of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference duels.

The Pack are coming off a huge win over second place Regis in Pueblo, as the Pack defeated the Rangers 83-70 in dominating fashion. The Pack who sit in ninth place in the RMAC, are in a heated battle with Fort Lewis and Colorado Christian for seventh and eighth place, sitting half a game back behind both teams. The top eight teams qualify for the RMAC Tournament at the end of the regular season, with a chance to also qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

CSU Pueblo enters the match-up with a 12-10 overall record and a 7-7 mark in the RMAC after last weekend's lone game against Regis. The two games this weekend will give the Pack a chance to get back above .500 in league play and an opportunity to leap both Fort Lewis and Colorado Christian in the standings. Colorado Christian has just one game this weekend, playing at Western Colorado, while Fort Lewis just plays one game this weekend against CSU Pueblo.

This will be the second time the Pack have faced Fort Lewis and Adams State this season.

ABOUT THE PACK
The Pack enter this Friday's match-up led by their fearless leader, redshirt junior forward Alisha Little (Aurora, Colo./Northern Colorado), who is one of the best players in all of NCAA Division II. Little leads the RMAC in scoring at 20 points per game and blocks per game at 3.2 per outing. She is coming off a career-high 35 points in the win over Regis, and was recently named the Offensive Player of the Week by the RMAC. Little had led the conference in rebounding for most of the year, but was recently overtaken by Olivia Reed (11.5 rebounds per game) of Colorado Mesa, as Little pulls down 11.2 boards a game. In addition, Little had been in the lead nationally for most of the season in double-doubles (15) and blocks (71), but was recently taken over by Lauryn Taylor (16 double-doubles) of Francis Marion, and Hannah Giddey (76 blocks) of Southern Nazarene. Little still leads by a wide margin in both of those categories in the RMAC.

Redshirt junior forward Autumn Watts (Centennial, Colo./McNeese State) continues to be a solid complimentary player to Little, as she has been playing some of her best basketball as of late. Watts has scored in double figures in four out of her last five games, and is coming off one of her best games of the season against Regis as she recorded 15 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, and had five assists.

Junior guard Tomia Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Florida Gulf Coast) has emerged as one of the best two-way guards in the conference, as she flirted with a triple-double against Regis, scoring 14 points, pulling down six rebounds, and dished out seven assists. Johnson is fourth in the conference in assists at 3.8 per game, and ranks ninth in steals at 2.2 per game.

CSU Pueblo relies heavily on their strong defensive presence as they continue to be one of the better defensive units in the RMAC and in the nation. The Pack only allow 64.4 points per game and hold their opponents to just 37 percent from the field. The Pack have played the most games by any team in the conference.

The ThunderWolves continue to rally around the ball as lead the conference in blocked shots at 5.3 per game and rank seventh nationally in that category. In addition, the Pack also cause just under 10 steals per game. Rebounding-wise, the Pack are fourth in the RMAC at 37.3 per game.

CSU Pueblo is coached by Tommie Johnson, who is in his fifth season leading the Pack. In his tenure as head coach, Johnson has put together a 60-66 overall record, and an RMAC record of 46-52. Johnson also spent 10 seasons as an assistant for the men's program from 2008-16.

ABOUT THE FORT LEWIS SKYHAWKS
Fort Lewis comes into Friday's match-up with the Pack on a two-game losing streak, and have dropped three out of their last four games. The Skyhawks who have an overall record of 11-10 sit in a tie for seventh place with Colorado Christian at 8-7 in RMAC play, half a game ahead of CSU Pueblo.

Last Friday, Feb. 2, the Skyhawks were downed by No. 9 Colorado School of Mines at home in Durango, Colo. 81-62. The Skyhawks were led by their leading scorer Lanae Billy (16.4 ppg), as she scored 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Also scoring in double-figures was Samantha Wattawa as she scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

In the first match-up between CSU Pueblo and Fort Lewis, the Skyhawks took home the narrow victory 65-59 in Durango, Colo. on Dec. 9. Freshman forward Leilani Love (Albuquerque, N.M./Albuquerque) led the Pack as she recorded a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Fort Lewis was able to contain CSU Pueblos' Little, as she had a season-low four points and eight rebounds. That is the only game this season that Little has not scored in double-figures.

In the victory, Fort Lewis had three scorers in double-figures and were led by Kelsey Sorenson as she scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Joining here was Billy who had 11 points, and Wattaw who also had 11 points.

The Pack did a solid job defensively in the game, holding the Skyhawks to just 39 percent from the field, and 21 percent from deep, but struggled themselves, shooting just 32 percent from the field, and 16 percent from deep.

Fort Lewis is led by Head Coach Taylor Harris who is his third season leading the Skyhawks. Harris has a career record of 46-56 overall, including a 24-2 record in NJCAA as he led Miles Community College (Montana) to a Sweet 16 run in 2020-21.
CSU Pueblo leads the all-time series against Fort Lewis 19-17.

ABOUT THE ADAMS STATE GRIZZLIES
Adams State comes into Saturday's match-up with the Pack, winning four out of their last five games. The Grizzlies sit in fifth place in the RMAC with a 15-7 overall record, and a 10-4 mark in RMAC play.

The Grizzlies are coming off a 1-1 weekend with a home loss versus Metro State, and an upset home win over No. 9 Colorado School of Mines.

On Friday, Feb. 2, the Grizzlies fell to MSU Denver 86-82 in overtime, despite having five players score in double-figures. Adams State was led by their leading scorer Harmanie Dominguez, as she scored 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting in the losing effort. Dominguez was complimented by Riahana Davis who scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds.

Dominguez is fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.7 points per game. She has scored in double-figures 18 times this season, with an RMAC season high 37 points against New Mexico Highlands on Dec. 9.

On Saturday, Feb. 3, the Grizzlies upset No. 9 Mines 69-68 at home in Alamosa, Colo., behind two strong performances from Davis, and Kiiyani Anitielu. Anitielu scored 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting to lead Adams State, and hit the game-winning jumper with six seconds. Davis was a fine compliment as she scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

In the first match-up between CSU Pueblo and Adams State, the Grizzlies took home a seven-point victory over the Pack 69-62 at home in Alamosa, Colo. CSU Pueblo made a second half comeback, but could not overcome a 14-point halftime deficit.

Adams State had balanced scoring in the game with four scorers in double-figures and were led by Anitielu who scored 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Davis had a solid game as well, scoring 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

The Pack were led by Little and junior guard Landri Hudson (Aurora, Colo./Wyoming) as they were the lone double-digit scorers for CSU Pueblo. Little scored 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Hudson had 12 points and two rebounds.

Adams State is led by Mario Caetano who is in his third season leading the Grizzlies after being elevated from assistant coach. Caetano has a 48-31 record at the helm for Adams State. Caetano led the Grizzlies to the RMAC Tournament Semifinals last season after leading Adams State to a 21-9 record, tied for the third most in program history.

CSU Pueblo leads the all-time series against Adams State 26-5.

UP NEXT FOR THE PACK
Following the weekend slate, the Pack will get a week off before a huge match-up against Colorado Christian on Feb. 16 on the road in Lakewood, Colo at 5 p.m. Fans can listen to the games on 1350 (Fox Sports Pueblo), or stream the games on the RMAC Network.