Strong first half, aggressive D keys Pack win

CSU-Pueblo 72, Central Washington 60

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The Pack used an 18-point halftime lead and 25 Central Washington turnovers to cruise to a 72-60 win over the Wildcats at the Great Western Shootout in Las Vegas, Nev. Wednesday.

CSU-Pueblo recorded 10 steals against 2-5 Central Washington and shot 50 percent from the field in the first half to carry a commanding 45-27 lead into halftime.  The ThunderWolves ruled turned a back-and-forth game into a potential blowout with a 29-8 run in the last portion of the first half.  Three ThunderWolves recorded 10 points in the first half alone, carried in large part by the Pack's performance from the free throw line, going 12-for-14 on charities in the first half and 18-for-21 overall in the game. 

All told, five ThunderWolves scored in double figures for the second consecutive game, a first since 2007-08.  The scoring was led by Amanda Bartlett (Jr., Kiowa, Colo.), who paced the Pack for the second straight game, netting 15 points.

The win also marked a milestone for Rachel Espinoza (Jr., Pueblo, Colo.), who had 14 points on the day and moved into 20th in the all-time CSU-Pueblo scoring list in the win.  The junior now has 790 points in her career.

The ThunderWolves improve to 6-2 with the win, earning its fourth straight victory and leaving the Pack one win away from their first undefeated December since 2003-04 and just the second undefeated December in school history.  Accomplishing the feat will not be a small order - the Pack is tasked with taking on Western Washington, which entered play Wednesday a perfect 5-0 on the season.  Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.