Pack men get revenge on UCCS

CSU-Pueblo 79, UC-Colorado Springs 57

PUEBLO, Colo. - Early on, Saturday's non-conference tilt with archrival UC-Colorado Springs seemed to be a retread to the teams' previous meeting, an 8-point upset win by UCCS on Dec. 19.

But just a scant few minutes into the second half, the 28-28 halftime deadlock turned into a distant memory, as the Pack turned in its best overall performance of the season, putting up 51 in the second half alone to cruise to a 79-57 win over the Mountain Lions.

The second half was keyed by two outstanding individual performances - a 21-point second half by Rome Smith (Sr., Denver, Colo.) and a the first double-double effort of the season by Jake Trahern (Sr., Kit Carson, Colo.).

After getting into foul trouble in the first half and only scoring two points in the opening frame, Smith sank three three-pointers and went 7-for-10 from the field to put the Pack in the driver's seat.  Joined by Trahern's 14 points and 11 rebounds, the Pack began the half in a 13-4 run and kept their game in high gear to score the win.

The Pack's effort was led by a outstanding performance by the team's transition game, putting up 21 assists and recording 14 steals, both marks the highest team totals in over two seasons. 

The ThunderWolves' win helps to nibble away at a lopsided 'Steel & Silver Series' between CSU-Pueblo and UCCS.  The two teams split the season series, and two points have been awarded to both teams.  UCCS now holds an 18-8 advantage in the all-sports competition, with CSU-Pueblo indoor and outdoor track teams, and softball teams having the responsibility of sweeping their season series' with UCCS to even the score.

The Pack will return to the hardwood Saturday when it hosts Colorado Christian at Massari Arena.