PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo men's basketball team will begin a four-game homestand in Massari Arena with games against Adams State and New Mexico Highlands this week.
 
CSU Pueblo will open this week's action with a 7:30 p.m. game on Thursday, Jan. 23 against Adams State University, before hosting New Mexico Highlands for a 3 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 25. These two games will be the first of four-game homestand for the ThunderWolves as they host Colorado Mesa and Westminster next week.
 
The Pack enters this week's action looking to put the brakes on a season-long six-game losing streak that has dropped its record to 8-8 overall and 3-5 in RMAC standings with 12 games left in the regular season. The current losing skid began with a 73-52 loss in Hawai'i against Alaska-Anchorage and was continued last week with back-to-back road setbacks at then-12th-ranked Mines (96-75) and Regis (92-59).
 
After opening league play with a 3-1 record, the Pack have dropped four straight league games and has moved into a five-way tie for ninth place in the RMAC standings. In addition to starting league play with a 3-1 record, the Pack opened the 2024-25 season by winning eight of its first 10 games.
 
This week's two games mark the ninth and 10th home games this season for the Pack as they are sporting a 6-2 record at home, but the Pack has lost two of its last RMAC home games as they fell 66-62 to Chadron State and 83-72 to Colorado Christian and picked up a home win over South Dakota Mines (68-58). Since the beginning of last season, the Pack has posted a 14-9 record at home, including a 5-9 mark in home RMAC games.
 
ABOUT THE PACK
Through the first 16 games this season, the Pack has three players averaging in double figures as fifth-year senior guard Brevin Walter (Las Vegas, Nev./South Dakota Mines) leads the way offensively as he is averaging 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game and is shooting 40 percent from the field, 29 percent from the 3-point line and 84 percent at the free throw line, which is eighth-best in the RMAC. Walter, who is the No. 4 active scorer in Division II men's basketball with 1,889 points and is just 11 points shy of 1,900 career points, has made five straight free throws and 34 of his last 36 free throws overall. He has scored in double figures in five straight games and a team-leading 12 times on the season and leads the team with 20 made treys. In RMAC play, Walter is averaging 14.9 points per game and is shooting 94 percent from the free throw line.
 
In addition to Walter, senior forward De'Shaun Cooper (San Diego, Calif./Balboa School) is second in scoring as he is averaging 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and is second in the RMAC in field goal percentage at 67 percent. Cooper, who has tallied 11 blocked shots and is just 50 points shy of becoming the 28th member of the Pack's 1,000-Point Club, has scored in double figures in 10 of 16 games this season and has recorded a team-best three double-doubles. In RMAC play, he is averaging 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 75 percent from the field.
 
The third double-digit scorer for the Pack is senior guard Armon Muldrew (Perris, Calif./San Bernardino Valley) as he is averaging 10.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, and is shooting 40 percent from the field, 29 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent from the free throw line. Muldrew has scored in double figures in four of his last seven games and nine times overall on the season and is second on the team with 16 made treys.
 
Three other Pack players are averaging between 7.3 and 7.5 points per game games as freshman forward Jake Lafferty (Bruner, Mo./Sparta) is averaging 7.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, and is shooting 54 percent from the field, 39 percent from the 3-point line and 72 percent from the free throw line and has scored in double figures in four games, including a season-high 19 points against Colorado Christian and has tallied 18 points and 12 rebounds in his last two games, while redshirt sophomore guard Jaden Kennis (Windsor, Colo./MSU Denver) is averaging 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 36 percent from the field and 28 percent from the 3-point line and has made 15 treys and junior forward Victor Lado (Louisville, Ky./Vincennes University) is averaging 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 57 percent from the field and leads the team in blocked shots with 12 and has scored in double figures in two straight games and five times overall on the season.
 
As a team, the Pack, who is coached by sixth-year head coach Matt Hammer, enters this week's action averaging 72.8 points per game but has been held under 70 points in seven of its last nine games as they scored 72 points at home against Colorado Christian two weeks ago and then tallied 75 points last Thursday at Mines. In eight RMAC games, the Pack is averaging 67.1 points per game. On defense, the Pack is allowing 70.4 points per game, which is fourth in the RMAC and is seventh in the league in scoring margin at +2.3.
 
The Pack enters this week's action once again leading the league and is 16th nationally in Division II in three-point field goal defense and is fifth in the league in field goal percentage defense. The Pack's opponents are shooting 29.5 percent (102-for-346) from the 3-point line and those opponents are shooting 42.9 percent (416-for-970) from the field. Nine of the Pack's 16 opponents have shot better than 40 percent from the field, while seven of the Pack's 16 opponents haven't shot better than 25 percent from the 3-point line, but eight of its last nine opponents have shot 26 percent or better from downtown, including allowing its last three foes to shoot over 40 percent or better from the 3-point line.
 
One area where the Pack has struggled this season is from the 3-point line as they are 14th out of 15th teams in the league in 3-point field goal percentage as they are shooting 29.8 percent (84-for-282) from long distance and are making a league-worst 5.3 treys per game. In RMAC play, the Pack is shooting 30.3 percent from the 3-point line and is averaging 5.0 made treys per game. Last season, the Pack was one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league as they shot 37.1 percent from long distance, which was third-best in the RMAC. The Pack averaged 8.3 made treys per game last season.
 
Despite its recent struggles, the Pack are third in the league in rebounding as they are averaging 36.5 rebounds per game and are outrebounding its foes by 2.7 boards per game and have collected 40 or more rebounds in a game six times, and are fourth in the RMAC in fewest turnovers per game as they are averaging just 12.4 per game on the year. The Pack has had 12 or fewer turnovers in a game seven times and in RMAC play, the Pack is averaging 12.6 turnovers per game.
 
ABOUT ADAMS STATE
Adams State comes into Thursday's game having lost three of its last four games overall with the lone win coming last Saturday at home against South Dakota Mines (76-65). The win over the Hardrockers snapped a three-game losing skid for the Grizzlies.
 
ASU is sporting a 7-9 overall record and a 2-6 mark in the RMAC. Along with a win over South Dakota Mines, ASU's other RMAC win was a 96-83 victory at New Mexico Highlands on Dec. 14. After opening the season with three straight wins, the Grizzlies lost six of its next seven games, including opening RMAC play with three straight losses before the road win over Highlands.  
 
The Grizzlies have struggled away from home this season as they are just 2-5 on the road, including being 1-2 on the road in RMAC play. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, ASU has posted a 7-25 road record with six of those wins coming in RMAC play. 
 
Adams State, who was tabbed to finish 13th in the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll with 41 points, has a balanced offensive attack as six players are averaging double figures on the year. Leading the way is junior guard Jude Tapia, who is averaging 16.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field, 43 percent from the 3-point line and 81 percent from the free throw line. His 51 made treys (3.2 per game) lead the RMAC. Tapia has earned two RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season.
 
In addition to Tapia, junior guard Ta'Veus Randle is averaging 13.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 38 percent from the field, 34 percent from the 3-point line, and 82 percent at the free throw line, while junior forward Jaylen Alexander is averaging 11.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 66 percent from the field and 54 percent from the 3-point line.
 
The other double-digit scorers are junior guard Luke Williams (10.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg), junior forward Wyatt Helming (10.6 ppg), and redshirt senior forward John Harge (10.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg). 
 
As a team, Adams State is the top-scoring team in the league as they are averaging 87.3 points per game and have scored 90 or more points in six games. Along with scoring 87.3 points per game, the Grizzlies are shooting 48 percent from the field and are fifth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage at 36.7 and are second in made treys per game at 9.9. ASU is also third in RMAC in both steals (9.3 per game) and assists (15.6 per game). ASU's opponents are shooting 46 percent from the field and 34 percent from the 3-point line and are allowing 87.8 points per game.   
 
ASU is coached by Kenny Tripp, who is in his second season with the Grizzlies and has compiled a 15-29 overall record.
 
Thursday's game with Adams State is the first of two matchups this season between the two schools as the Pack will face the Grizzlies in Alamosa on Feb. 22. The Pack holds a 22-14 edge in the all-time series, but the series is tied 5-5 over the last 10 matchups. The Pack leads the series, 11-7 at home and also leads 11-7 in Alamosa. Last season, the teams split their two meetings as the Pack won 103-97 at Adams State and the Grizzlies returned the favor with a 91-90 win in Pueblo.
 
ABOUT NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
New Mexico Highlands, who plays Thursday at UCCS before facing the Pack on Saturday, comes into this week's action having lost three of its last four games with the lone win coming last Saturday at home in overtime against Chadron State (97-96). That win was the first for the Cowboys in RMAC play as they had opened league play with an 0-7 record.
 
The Cowboys are sporting an 8-8 overall record and are 1-7 in RMAC play. Three of Highlands' seven non-conference wins were against RMAC foes as they defeated the Pack (85-63) and Western Colorado (94-86) in Las Vegas, Nev., and earned a 65-58 road win over Colorado Christian.
 
NMHU is 4-4 on the road, including being 0-3 on the road in RMAC play, and is also 4-4 at home this season. NMHU has lost two straight road games since its win at Colorado Christian.
 
New Mexico Highlands, who was tabbed to finish eighth in the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll as they earned 90 points, is led offensively by senior forward Kenard Richardson. Richardson in second in the RMAC in scoring at 17.1 points per game and is also averaging 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point line, and 81 percent at the free throw line. He has had 12 double-digit scoring games on the year.
 
In addition to Richardson, junior forward Blessin Kimble is averaging 11.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field. As a team, NMHU is third in the RMAC in scoring at 80.8 points per game and is shooting 44 percent from the field, 33 percent from the 3-point line, and 71 percent from the free throw line. 
 
The Cowboys are second in the RMAC in steals at 10.3 per game and are second in the RMAC in turnover margin at +4.5 as they average just 11.8 turnovers per game and force 16.3 per game. Highlands' opponents are averaging 82.7 points per game and are shooting 53 percent from the field and 39 percent from downtown. 
 
New Mexico Highlands is coached by Mike Dominguez, who is in his fifth season with the Cowboys and has compiled a 62-66 overall record. Dominguez was the RMAC Player of the Year and an All-American in 2010 while playing at Colorado Mes
 
UP NEXT
Following this week's home games against Adams State and New Mexico Highlands, the Pack remains at home in Massari Arena to conclude its four-game homestand next week with a 7:30 game on Thursday, Jan. 31 against Colorado Mesa and then concludes the homestand on Saturday, Feb. 2 against Westminster.