Surratt takes control, lifts Pack to dramatic win

CSU-Pueblo 58, Western New Mexico 56

SILVER CITY, N.M. - Saturday, as the ThunderWolves took on Western New Mexico in a near must-win game for the Pack, the key matchup was between arguably the top two point guards in the RMAC - Western New Mexico's Devin Stewart and CSU-Pueblo's Jordan Surratt (Sr., Morgantown, W.V.).

Following the Pack's dramatic, last-second 58-56 win over the Mustangs, it's fair to say that Surratt won that battle.

Surratt waited until the final second to drain his first and only points of the game, nailing a pretty three-pointer to lift the Pack to a two-point win.

Surratt's heroics came after the ThunderWolves seemed to give the game away, with Stewart keying a tremendous rally for the Mustangs.

The Pack led by six, 53-47, with 1:26 remaining in the game.  But a series of mental errors, including unforced fouls and turnovers, allowed the Mustangs to get back into it.  Stewart registered a steal and two big buckets inside of one minute remaining, including the seemingly game-winning layup with seven seconds remaining that wrested back the lead for the Mustangs by a 56-55 score.

But in the end, Surratt, with his five-assist night, made Stewart's would-be heroics a moot point.

Surratt, a ball-control magnate who leads the RMAC in assist/turnover ratio, faced down Stewart, coming in ranked fourth in the nation in assist per game with 7.4 dishes per contest, joining with the Pack defense to hold him to a big goose egg in the assist department.  Stewart led the Mustangs with 15 points.

Surratt served as the cog in standout performances for teammates Jake Trahern (Sr., Kit Carson, Colo.), who recorded the double-double in a 12-point, 10-rebound effort, and Rome Smith (Sr., Denver, Colo.), who sank 25 points and added nine boards.

The Pack's victory buoys them to a respectable 7-6 in RMAC play and 10-11 overall, leaving the ThunderWolves able to control its own destiny for an RMAC playoff berth.

CSU-Pueblo will continue its road trip next weekend when it travels to Fort Lewis before heading to Alamosa to take on Adams State.