PUEBLO, Colo. — Colorado State University Pueblo Women's Basketball opens its first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference road trip of the 2025-26 season this week, traveling to Nebraska and South Dakota for RMAC road match-ups.
The ThunderWolves will open the week with an 11 a.m. matinee on Thursday, Dec. 11 in Chadron, Neb., against Chadron State and then conclude the week with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Rapid City, S.D., against South Dakota Mines. The Pack enters the weekend looking to build on a strong defensive identity and a recent three-game win stretch.
Due to the early tip-off times on Thursday at Chadron State (11 a.m. for the women and 1 p.m. for the men), those games will not be aired on Fox Sports Pueblo (1350 AM), but will instead be aired on Facebook Live through the CSU Pueblo Athletics Facebook page and Jim Brooks' Facebook Fan Page. Saturday's games at South Dakota Mines will be aired on Fox Sports Pueblo with the pregame show for the women beginning at 12:45 p.m.
CSU Pueblo is sporting a 4-5 overall record and a 1-1 mark in the RMAC after splitting home games last weekend to open RMAC play. The Pack opened league play with a 62-60 win last Thursday over Westminster and then had its three-game win streak snapped with a 67-61 loss on Saturday to Western Colorado. Prior to the loss to Western Colorado, the Pack had collected wins at home against Westminster, Northern New Mexico (73-49), and Western New Mexico (84-34).
Heading into this week's action, the Pack, who are coached by seventh-year head coach
Tommie Johnson, continues to lean on an elite defense that ranks among the tops in the RMAC. On the season, the Pack ranks fifth in the league in scoring defense as they are allowing just 61.0 points per game and also leads the league in blocked shots (3.6) and Is fourth in the league in steals per game (11.0) and among the league leaders in turnovers forced (18.7).
The Pack's opponents are shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from the 3-point line and held five opponents to 62 points or fewer and is 3-0 this season when holding teams under 60 points.
Offensively, the Pack is averaging 62.1 points per game and is shooting 37.9 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and ranks third in the RMAC in three-pointers made per game (7.2) and is second in assists (15.3 per game), along with leading the league in 3-pointers attempted per game (24.4).
Senior guard
Seneya Martinez (Windsor, Colo./Appalachian State) is the team's leading scorer through nine games this season as the enters this week's action averaging 10.7 points per game and has reached double figures in six of nine games, including a career-high 25 points in the season opener against Nebraska-Kearney and is third in the league in blocked shots at 1.0 per contest.
In addition to Martinez, senior guard
Genesis Sweetwine (Aurora, Colo./Northeastern JC) adds 9.3 points and 3.0 assists per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field and 31 percent from the 3-point line and has scored in double figures in four games, including a career-high 22 points in the season opener against Nebraska-Kearney.
Other key performers for Pack this season are junior forward
Anyla Owens (Colorado Springs, Colo./Otero JC), junior guard
Wynter Jones (Dallas, Texas/Blinn College) and junior forward
Dasani Nesbit (Billings, Mont./Gillette College). Owens, who tied a school record with nine made 3-pointers against Northern New Mexico, is averaging 7.4 points per game and stands fifth in the league in 3-point shooting at 37.5 percent, while Jones is averaging 7.0 points and 2.9 steals per game, which is second-best in the league and Nesbit is averaging 6.1 points and a team-leading 5.1 rebounds per game and is coming off a standout week last week as she tallied 21 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and three blocks in the games against Westminster and Western Colorado.
ABOUT CHADRON STATE
Chadron State comes into this week's action sporting an 0-5 overall record and an 0-2 RMAC mark after opening league play last week with an 83-34 loss at Black Hills State and a 75-51 home setback to South Dakota Mines. Thursday's game with the Pack will mark just the second home game this season for the Eagles.
Leading the way offensively for the Eagles is senior forward McKenzi Peterson, who is averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and is shooting 57 percent from the field and 86 percent at the free throw line. She has tallied three double-digit scoring games, including an 18-point, nine rebound effort last time out against South Dakota Mines.
Only three other Eagle players are averaging over 6.0 points per game on the season as junior guard Audrey Quintana is averaging 7.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, while freshman guard Ella Moser is averaging 6.6 points off the bench as all of her 10 made field goals have come from the 3-point line and freshman guard Kenna Wagner is averaging 6.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and is shooting a team-best 36 percent from the 3-point line.
As a team, Chadron State enters the week averaging just 48.6 points per game and is allowing 80.0 points per game and is being outscored by 31.4 points per game. In addition, the Eagles are shooting 30.6 percent from the field, 22.1 percent from the 3-point line and 71.2 percent from the free throw line. CSC hasn't scored more than 57 points in a game this season and has allowed three foes to score more than 75 points, including allowing 95 points to Wayne State (Neb.) in a 95-53 road loss.
The Eagles also struggle taking care of the ball as they are averaging 26.0 turnovers per game and are getting outrebounded by 6.8 boards per game.
Defensively, CSC's opponents are shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from the 3-point line. The Eagles, though, do average nearly seven steals and 1.6 blocked shots per game.
Thursday's game will mark the 39th all-time meeting on the hardwood for both teams as the Pack holds a commanding 32-6 all-time edge in the series. The Pack has won seven straight games and nine of the last 10 games overall in the series, including sweeping both meetings last season as the Pack won 72-61 in Pueblo and earned an 86-77 win in Chadron.
The Pack will see two familiar faces on the opposite sideline on Thursday at Chadron State as former Pack assistant coach Jalen Little (2020-25) is the Eagles' first-year head coach, while Little's assistant is former Pack player Romola Dominguez, who played for the ThunderWolves from 2021-24.
ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
South Dakota Mines, which plays on Thursday at home against Colorado Christian before hosting the Pack on Saturday, enters the week sporting a 3-5 overall record and 2-0 mark in RMAC play after opening its league slate with a 64-62 home win over Black Hills State and a 75-51 road victory over Chadron State. The 2-0 start to league play is the best in program history for the Hardrockers.
Leading the way offensively is senior forward Savea Mansfield, who is averaging 16.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 49 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free throw line and has scored in double figures in eight games, including tallying 30 points in the win over Black Hills State. Mansfield is sixth in the league in scoring and fifth in the league in free throw shooting.
In addition to Mansfield, redshirt junior forward Morning Grace Spotted Bear is averaging 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and is shooting 37 percent from the field and 35 percent from the 3-point line and has tallied six double-digit scoring games and had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds against Minot State.
The third double-digit scorer for the Hardrockers is freshman guard Addison Miranda, who is averaging 10.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. She is shooting 40 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and is a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. She has had five double-digit scoring games, including 23 points in a win over Nebraska Wesleyan.
As a team, South Dakota Mines is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the RMAC as they are second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (32.5) and are averaging 7.6 made treys per game and are attempting 23.2 treys per game, which is fourth-most in the league. In addition, the Hardrockers take care of the basketball as they lead the league in fewest turnovers per game (14.2) and are fourth in the league in free throw shooting at 73.6 percent.
On the season, South Dakota Mines is averaging 63.0 points per game and allowing 65.0 points per game and they are shooting 38.7 percent from the field and their opponents are shooting 40 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from the 3-point line. In addition, the Hardrockers are fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 0.88.
Saturday's game will mark the 18th all-time and the only meeting this season between the two teams as the Pack holds a 12-5 all-time record in the series. The Pack has won six of the last 10 games in the series, including collecting a 62-57 win in Pueblo last season. The series, though, is tied at 3-3 in Rapid City.
PACK NOTES