ThunderWolves heat up, get past Texas-Permian

PUEBLO, Colo -- For a while there, it looked like the ThunderWolves would be lucky to score, let alone come away with a win.  After going 3-for-20 to start the game, and shooting 6-for-31 overall in the first half, the CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves found enough second half offense to power their way past the University of Texas-Permian Basin Falcons on Saturday night by a score of 59-49, elevating the Pack to 2-0 in the 2008 Chuck Stephens Classic.

The first half was forgettable mostly due to the combined offensive ineptitude of both teams.  CSU-Pueblo shot only 19.4 percent in the first half, including a 3-for-19 performance from 3-point range.  The Falcons shot 8-for-28 in the opening half, and combined the teams committed 22 turnovers.

The second half was a much improved performance.  Tournament MVP Mary Rehfeld (Sr., Juneau, Alaska) canned a three to open the ThunderWolves’ scoring, and buckets by Rachel Espinoza (So., Pueblo, Colo.) and Jonnie Draper (Sr., Littleton, Colo.) gave the Pack a nice 7-0 with which to start off the period.  Draper and Rehfeld then combined to go on a 10-0 run, capped off with another Rehfeld 3-pointer at 13:06.

The Falcons didn’t go away entirely, though, and Lauren Unger made sure the Texas-Permian team got back in the action by splashing a trio of three-pointers on the other end.  The ThunderWolves answered back with a long range trifecta of their own through Kristi Arness (Jr., Chico, Calif.).  The junior transfer had never before scored for CSU-Pueblo, but she opened her account in style, confidently bagging back to back three-pointers at the 9:01 mark, and scoring another one moments later.

Rehfeld’s stat line was symbolic of the ThunderWolves’ evening.  She had three points and three boards at halftime, but turned it on after the break and finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds.  Espinoza also rebounded after a poor first half and recorded eight points, six boards and five assists.

The ThunderWolves will be back in action on Dec. 12 when they take on Nebraska-Kearney in the Pack’s conference opener.  Tip off is set for 6 p.m. at Massari Arena.