ThunderWolves hang on, beat Mountaineers

CSU-Pueblo 65, Western State 61

GUNNISON, Colo. - A stellar performance at the free throw line, especially down the stretch, helped the ThunderWolves to secure a 65-61 win over Western State in Gunnison Friday.

The ThunderWolves were 23-for-32 from the charity stripe, including 8-for-12 inside of the game's final four minutes.  The free throws were crucial in a game in which neither team could build a lead larger than four points in the second half. 

The game was tied on 12 separate occasions, the latest of which came with 1:30 left in the game.  But a late foul by Western State's Allen McFarland inside of one minute remaining sent Rome Smith (Sr., Denver, Colo.) to the free throw line, burying two charities to give the Pack a 63-61 advantage with 53 seconds remaining.

Western State missed its chances to tie, missing a three-pointer and a layup in the final seconds, paving the way for the Pack to secure the win with another trip to the free throw line.

The Pack was led by Smith, who netted a game-high 25 points, sinking four threes and going 7-for-8 from the line.  Smith also boasted the game high in rebounds with eight and registered two steals.  The Pack was also buoyed by Jake Trahern (Sr., Kit Carson, Colo.) who scored 11 points, going 7-for-11 from the line and logging three blocked shots.

The ThunderWolves improve to 9-9 overall and 5-4 in RMAC play with the win.  The Pack will return home Friday when it hosts Adams State at Massari Arena.