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."
