ThunderWolves re-discover three ball, take down Newman 67-55

OMAHA, Neb. - After two absolutely dismal nights shooting the three, going only 8-for-40 from behind the arc in two previous games, both losses, the ThunderWolves improved to a 7-for-17 clip, helping the Pack to defeat Newman 67-55 at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Tuesday.

Despite playing what Pack coach Kip Drown said was not as sharp a game as their loss to Nebraska-Omaha yesterday, the ThunderWolves did see marked improvement in their shooting, which had dipped below the 40 percent mark in each of the last two games.

The improved shooting was vital in a game in which the ThunderWolves were in danger of getting upset by the 1-6 Jets. The Pack trailed 31-30 at halftime before they honed their game. Drown labeled the Pack's first half effort as a big of a hangover from facing the one-loss Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks the night before.

"Last night was emotional, and it was a game we were really ready to play, but it was hard to come back out tonight and flip the switch back on," Drown said. "Newman played with us for a while before we were able to get it going."

The Pack did turn it on, shooting 46 percent from the field in the second half, and getting seven or more second half points from four players, outscoring Newman 37-24. The Pack was able to do this without its starting forward, Jonnie Draper, who was absent from the lineup with the flu.

"Whenever you are without a player like Jonnie, who really makes things happen with defensively and on the offensive side of the ball, it's hard," Drown said. "But everybody started shooting better and we showed a lot more consistency."

The Pack's win improves their record to 8-4 on the season, a respectable mark but hardly satisfying for the ThunderWolves as the early part of their season comes to a close.

"Honestly, we are disappointed [with our start]," Drown said. "We lost four games, and with each of them, a bounce here and bounce there, and we win those games. We need to play better in January and February if we are going to get to where we want to be."