The Colorado State University Pueblo women’s basketball team clinched the fifth seed in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and will travel to Black Hills State (Spearfish, S.D.) to face the Yellowjackets in the quarterfinal round at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday (March 4).
The ThunderWolves clinched a spot in the tournament in a blowout win over the MSU Denver Roadrunners, 72-49, (Feb. 27). Then the Pack picked up a win on senior night in the final game of the regular season against Colorado School of Mines, 82-62, on Saturday (March 1).
The ThunderWolves have a great resume in the tournament with 21 all-time appearances and a 28-15 overall record. The ThunderWolves also own six conference titles, which is the most of any active school in the RMAC.
The Pack’s most recent conference title was in 2018. They have had impressive tournament wins since, including upsetting top-seeded Colorado Mesa last year in Grand Junction, 66-57. The ThunderWolves were eliminated in the semifinal round by UCCS in Denver, 58-54.
The ThunderWolves started off their final home game stretch behind Alisha Little’s double-double with 32 points and 10 rebounds. Little has recorded 23 double-doubles this season, which continues to be the best in NCAA Div. II.
She also has been a dominant force defensively, tallying eight steals and four blocks.
Tomia Johnson contributed to the team’s win, tallying 13 points. Additionally, her playmaking on both sides of the floor led her to finish the game with five assists and three steals.
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively in the game, with the ThunderWolves shooting only 29 percent (5-17) from the floor and the Roadrunners shooting 36 percent (4-11) from the floor. This slow start for the ThunderWolves allowed the Roadrunners to stay in the game throughout the first half, trailing only by 4 points at halftime, 25-21. However, the ThunderWolves’ offense came to life in the second half as they shot an impressive 62 percent from the floor and their defense held the Roadrunners to shoot just 41 percent from the floor in the game.
In the third quarter, the ThunderWolves were up by as many as 15 points, which essentially put the game away for the team as the chemistry between Little and Johnson proved to be too much for the Roadrunners defensively.
The ThunderWolves resumed regular season play for the final time at Massari Arena on senior night with an emotional win over Mines. Senior forward Autumn Watts got the start in her final game and scored a layup in the opening seconds and then checked out after a quick foul. Watts missed most of the season after suffering a season-ending knee injury but was able to enjoy the amazing moment in front of her teammates and fans.
Tomia Johnson, Alisha Little, Yara Garcia, Tosjanae Bonds, Autumn Watts, Landri Hudson, and Shamahra Henderson were the seven seniors recognized for the Pack before the game. In the game four seniors finished in double figures for the Pack.
Little put together another complete game, as she led the Pack in scoring with 24 points and eight rebounds, five blocks and three steals.
Johnson continued her strong productivity on both sides of the ball, as she added 17 points, six assists and three steals. She was also very effective from beyond the arc, shooting 3-5 from 3-point range.
Hudson also was efficient offensively for the ThunderWolves, scoring 12 points on 3-4 shooting. Bonds went 3-4 from the field and added 10 points. Junior Genesis Sweetwine scored 12 points off the bench for the ThunderWolves, as it also gave them a 27-16 advantage in bench points over the Roadrunners.
The ThunderWolves finished the regular season with an 18-10 overall record, and an 13-7 RMAC record. The Pack also dominated the season at home with a 12-3 record at Massari and finished with on the road a 6-6 record.
In their previous matchup to Black Hills State on the road in South Dakota back on Feb. 6, the ThunderWolves lost by a score of 62-48. However, the Pack will look to get their revenge on the postseason in their quarterfinal round matchup of the RMAC tournament.
