Sports

Men’s Thunderwolves win, clinch a spot in the RMAC Tournament

February 23, 2013

Arden Dennis cashes in a 3-pointer for the Thunderwolves against BHSU. Photo courtesy of Tyler Shomaker.

The men’s Colorado State University-Pueblo Thunderwolves (12-13, 11-8 RMAC) defeated the Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets (5-19, 4-16 RMAC), 84-46, on Feb. 22, at the Massari Arena.

The game ended the same way the game started, in a dominating fashion. From the second the game started, the Thunderwolves kept increasing the lead. Within the first 13 minutes, the Thunderwolves racked up a 12-point lead.

The leading scorer of the game was Arden Dennis, who scored 20 points and picked up two rebounds. Dennis finished the game 8-for-13 shooting and only gave up two baskets in defense.

“I felt really good about my performance and I capitalized on what the other team gave me,” Dennis said. “Open shots.”

“I could not have done that without my team, we have been playing some really good ball in this final stretch of the season and I feel real confident about my team going into the playoffs,” Dennis said.

The first half was a momentum builder for the Thunderwolves. CSU-Pueblo started to add up points and played tough defense against the Yellow Jackets. The Thunderwolves went into halftime with a 14-point lead following a 3-pointer from Bryse Velasquez. Velasquez finished with 12 points and six assists on the night

CSU-Pueblo stretched its lead to 32 points in the middle of the second half, following a 17-0 run. The biggest lead for the Thunderwolves was 39 points, which came with five minutes left in the game.

Bryse Velasquez jumps through the air to lay the ball in to extend the Thunderwolves' lead. Photo courtesy of Tyler Shomaker. — Bryse Velasquez jumps through the air to lay the ball in to extend the Thunderwolves’ lead. Photo courtesy of Tyler Shomaker.

Late in the second half, BHSU’s Ryan Allen tripped CSU-Pueblo’s Anders Christianson and a scuffle broke out between the two players. Allen walked back to the Yellow Jacket’s bench with a fat lip and blood on his chin. The refs talked over the situation and both players were ejected from the game.

Also, with 1,542 people in attendance, the entertainment for the halftime show had the audience dancing, as the Associated Students’ Government recorded a “Harlem Shake” video, which is a recent viral theme for videos on Youtube.

With the win today, the Thunderwolves clinched a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.

Next up, the Thunderwolves face the Chadron State College Eagles. The last time these two teams met, CSU-Pueblo beat Chardon State College by 30 points, in Chadron, Neb.

Saturday’s game against Chadron State College will start at 7:30 p.m. in the Massari Arena.

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