ThunderWolves open exhibition schedule with Wyoming

Pack challenges hard, but fades in second half against Division I Cowgirls.

LARAMIE, Wyo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Oct. 28, 2011) - CSU-Pueblo opened its exhibition schedule Friday at Division I Wyoming, falling 67-46 in the first action of the season.

The ThunderWolves trailed 27-24 at halftime, keeping within shooting distance of the lead despite shooting just 38 percent from the field. 

The second half, though, was dreary for the Pack as they mustered just 22 points and shot 13 percent from three, forced outside by a tenacious inside game by Wyoming.  The Cowgirls out-boarded CSU-Pueblo 48-32 in the game and ended up shooting just 32 percent from the field.

But as is the case with any exhibition game against Division I competition, the outcome is not the story, but instead the performances of the individuals as they get into game shape.

In a game that saw each ThunderWolf get floor time, Erica Hicks (Jr., Lakewood, Colo.) was the most impressive, leading the team with 16 points, going 6-for-14 and sinking two three-pointers.  Other key performances include sophomore Paige Ramm (So., Prescott, Ariz.), who played just 19 minutes, but scored nine points and 2-for-4 from three-point land, and Laurel Kearsley (Jr., Victor, Idaho), a junior college transfer from the College of Idaho, showed that she is an early candidate to become a starter, getting 29 minutes - second-most on the team behind Hicks - scoring seven points and taking down four rebounds. 

CSU-Pueblo has one more exhibition - next Saturday night at Colorado State in Fort Collins - before opening its season for real at the CSU-Pueblo Al Kaly Classic Nov. 18.