PUEBLO, Colo. - The Colorado State University Pueblo women's basketball delivered a dramatic start to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Thursday night, as the ThunderWolves surged late and sealed a dramatic 62–60 victory over Westminster inside a roaring Massari Arena. The win marked the Pack's third straight, pushing CSU Pueblo to 4–4 overall and a perfect 1–0 to open league action.
From the opening tip, the Pack found themselves in a grind-it-out battle against a Westminster squad that came out firing, building an 11-point lead late in the second quarter. While the Griffins relied on efficient mid-range shooting and interior scoring, the ThunderWolves counterpunched with pressure, grit, and depth. CSU Pueblo's defensive identity came into full view—forcing 23 turnovers, collecting an eye-popping 19 steals, and refusing to allow Westminster to play comfortably for long stretches.
The momentum began to turn midway through the third quarter. Sparked by the activity of Wynter Jones and Seneya Martinez, the Pack strung together a 13–0 run, flipping the pace of the game and igniting the Massari crowd. CSU Pueblo's bench—responsible for 29 points on the night—continued to feed that surge, helping the Pack erase what once felt like a daunting deficit.
Despite entering the fourth quarter trailing 44–40, the ThunderWolves played with renewed poise and confidence. Shots that rolled off earlier began to fall. The defensive rotations tightened. And Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck delivered several pivotal plays, scoring at all three levels on her way to a game-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Her third-quarter three-pointer and late fourth-quarter driving basket proved crucial in keeping the Pack within striking distance.
Then came the final sequence...
With the game tied in the closing seconds, CSU Pueblo pushed the ball into the frontcourt, searching for a last look before time expired. As the Pack worked through their action, the ball found its way to junior forward Dasani Nesbit, who fought her way into position near the elbow. With less than a second on the clock, Nesbit was bumped on her gather, drawing a whistle that stunned the Westminster bench and electrified the home crowd.
What followed was a moment of pure composure.
Nesbit stepped to the line with 0.6 seconds remaining—Massari silent, all eyes on her—and calmly buried the first free throw to give CSU Pueblo the lead. She then delivered the second with equal confidence, pushing the margin to 62–60 and sending the arena into a frenzy. Westminster's full-court heave at the horn sailed wide, sealing the ThunderWolves' dramatic comeback victory.
Behind Nesbit's clutch performance (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks), Martinez's physical interior presence (12 points, 5 boards), and Jones' disruptive defensive effort (five steals), the Pack showcased the toughness needed to navigate RMAC play. CSU Pueblo also held Westminster to just 34.9 percent shooting and overcame the Griffins' 32–24 advantage in the paint by thriving in transition and leveraging their defensive pressure.
Riding a three-game winning streak and a wave of momentum, CSU Pueblo returns to Massari Arena for a quick turnaround, hosting Western Colorado on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. as RMAC action continues.
