Pack one shot away from knocking off Adams

Adams State 65, CSU-Pueblo 60

ALAMOSA, Colo. - It took just one more shot for the ThunderWolves to pull off an another late win, but the Pack's final shot fluttered off the rim, leading to a tough 65-60 loss to Adams State Tuesday night.

The Pack had a chance to tie with 10 seconds remaining, trailing 63-60. But a missed three by Rome Smith, who had just sank a three to bring the Pack to within one just seconds before, just wasn't meant to be, leaving the Pack trying to swallow a loss in a game that could have easily gone either direction.

After the game entered the half tied at 33, Adams State started the second half outscoring the Pack by an 18-10 clip, giving the Grizzlies the high lead of the game, eight points, and setting the tone for the rest of the game as the ThunderWolves tried to claw back into contention, resulting in the showdown in the final minutes of the game.

"When we were down by eight, we could have just packed it in," Pack coach Patrick Eberhart said. "But we fought back, and that's something we expect to do every game if we're down."

Trailing by five with just over four minutes remaining, the Pack began to exact control, taking down rebounds and making several stops on Adams' end. But the Grizzlies, behind Seth Heinbaugh, who scored a game-high 23 points, the Grizzlies managed to keep the Pack at bay. Heinbaugh scored six crucial points in the game's final four minutes to keep the Pack just a few steps shy of taking any lead.

"I thought we got a little behind defensively, and had some lapses that really hurt us," Eberhart said. "We just couldn't get over the hump. I told our kids that we can't play just as good as the home team, we have to play better. And I do think that for a little while tonight, we were better."

The loss is a tough one for the Pack, which falls to 6-8 in conference play and 9-12 overall. But there is still an air of positivity in the Pack clubhouse, one that Eberhart thinks will carry over to the team's next game Saturday at Western State.

"Tonight might not have been a good night, but the effort was great," Eberhart said. "When you play hard like that and play consistent, you'll win more than you lose. This is a good team, and we're excited to go up to Gunnison and prove it."