PUEBLO, Colo --- The 11th-ranked Western Colorado women's basketball team overcame a tough first half defensively to pull away in the fourth quarter and beat CSU Pueblo 83-73 Saturday at Massari Arena.
After giving up a season-high 46 points in the first half to trail by five at the break (previous high given up in the first half this season was 36), the Mountaineers (8-1 overall, 7-1 RMAC) allowed just 27 points in the second half and outscored the ThunderWolves (1-6, 1-6) 19-11 in the fourth quarter to come away with the 10-point win.
Western led 72-69 with under five minutes remaining when
Jessie Erickson drove to the basket and scored to push the Mountaineers' lead to five points. After a blocked shot by Erickson on CSU Pueblo's next possession,
Samantha Coleman drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:57 left to make it 77-69.
The lead grew to double figures after a CSU Pueblo technical foul with 2:56 remaining turned into two
Hannah Cooper free throws to make it 80-69 before Erickson scored on a reverse layup just as the shot clock was winding down on the ensuing possession to push the Mountaineer lead to 13 points.
Erickson (eight points) and Cooper (five points) combined for 13 of the Mountaineers' 19 points in the fourth. It's the second time in a row the Mountaineers have beaten the ThunderWolves in Pueblo. Prior to those wins, Western hadn't won in Pueblo since 2001.
Cooper led five Mountaineers in double figures with 21 points (going 11-for-12 from the free throw line) to go along with six rebounds and four steals.
Samantha Coleman had 19 points - including scoring the first 11 points for the Mountaineers - and had three assists and two steals. Erickson had 18 points - going 6-for-6 from the field - while
Emmery Wagstaff and
Mikaela Parker had 10 points apiece with Wagstaff adding a team-high nine rebounds.
Coleman's 19 points helped her reach the Western all-time top 10 in scoring with 959 points - passing Taryn Brennan's total of 958 points in the No. 10 spot.
JaNaiya Davis led CSU Pueblo with 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, five steals and two blocks.
Western returns home to take on Westminster on Friday and Colorado Mesa on Saturday in a pair of key RMAC contests.
