In the final home game of the year for the Colorado State University-Pueblo men’s basketball team, the ThunderWolves soundly defeated Fort Lewis College, 91-64.
The win marks the Pack’s first victory over Ft. Lewis since 2003 when the Pack defeated the Skyhawks in overtime, 78-77. The win also helps snap the 0-9 winless record Coach Eberhart held against Ft. Lewis.
“I can’t even explain how happy I am right now,” said senior guard Marc Williams. “We’ve been working hard all week just to beat these guys.”
The Pack (14-8, 9-6 RMAC) played superb defense throughout the game and only trailed twice in the contest. The team was also able to hold the RMAC’s third leading scorer, DeAndre Lansdowne, to 17 points, four points below his 21.5 points per game average.
“Fort Lewis is a great team and Landsdowne is a great player, but we just put it out tonight, worked together, and played hard,” said junior guard Kris Lawrie.
The second half saw the Pack go to the line 26 times in an effort by Ft. Lewis (16-7, 10-5) to stay in the game. CSU-Pueblo was solid from the free throw line, shooting 75 percent (30-40) and capitalizing on their free opportunities.
The ThunderWolves exploded in the second half extending their six-point halftime lead to double figures for the entire second half.
Ironically in a game that was the senior players last home game, Marc Williams, Roman Van Allen, and Imari Thomas, who are all seniors, scored in double figures.
Williams led the way with a game-high 19 points, Van Allen had 11 and Thomas finished with 12 for the Pack. Van Allen, the RMAC leader in steals at 2.8 steals per game also ended the game with five steals.
The ThunderWolves have caught fire lately by finishing off the weekend strong with big wins over Ft. Lewis Saturday and Adams State College Friday to extend a three-game win streak.
“We’ve been going through adversity all year, so as long as things come together at the end of the season that’s all that matters,” Williams said.
The Pack will finish up the regular season with four straight road games that will be vital to postseason positioning. CSU-Pueblo currently is fourth in the West Division of the RMAC, a spot they will need to defend if they want to earn a birth in the RMAC Shootout Tournament.
