GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado led from the opening basket until late in the third quarter, eventually falling behind visiting Colorado State Pueblo in a 66-52 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference loss to the visiting ThunderWolves.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: CSU Pueblo def. Western, 66-52
Records: Western 5-3 overall (1-1 RMAC), CSUP 6-3 (2-0)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountaineers won the opening tip and immediately took the lead on a layup by Jayda Maves, and the Western defense made things tough on the visitors across the first quarter, limiting CSUP to only a pair of field goals and 1-of-4 free throws.
• The 9-5 lead at the end of the period grew with Natalie Jojola's 3-pointer to kick off the second period. Western would build its advantage to eight (23-15) before arriving at a six-point lead, 23-17, heading into the halftime break.
• A pair of treys from Maves early in the third and a Brooklyn Seymour layup midway through the period upped the lead into double digits on three separate occasions, but Pueblo began to chip into its 33-22 deficit over the remaining minutes of the third.
• The ThunderWolves grabbed their first lead of the game with 30 seconds left in the period, 40-39, only to give it back when Jayde Tschritter dropped in a 3-pointer on the final shot of the quarter.
• Pueblo roared back from that 42-39 disadvantage, with a 13-0 run that started the fourth quarter. Western would climb back to within five, 54-49, on a Rachel Cockman layup, but CSUP would drain consecutive 3-pointers then pitch perfect from the free throw line, 6-for-6, down the stretch to finish off its road victory.

COURT NOTES

• The defeat ends a five-game win streak by the Mountaineers and evens their RMAC record at 1-1.
• Jojola led Western in scoring with 13 points, followed by Maves with 11 and Tschritter with 9. Each of the three hit a trio of 3-pointers during the game.
• The Mountaineers had the edge in rebounding, 36-33, but had 18 turnovers while Pueblo turned it over only 7 times.
• The ThunderWolves were led by Alisha Little's 29 points, which included seven 3-pointers that did much of the damage in their second-half comeback.
• Cockman hit double figures in rebounding with a team-high 10, her fourth consecutive game reaching double digits off the glass.
• Despite losing much of its lead in the third quarter, Western was solid from the floor. It hit 7-of-13 for a 54 percent frame, while CSUP was 9-of-17 (53%). The difference in the outcome was a fourth quarter in which Pueblo remained hot (54%) while the Mountaineers shot 4-of-16 (25%) over the final 10 minutes.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT
Western hits the road on Thursday and Saturday for a pair of RMAC matchups on the Front Range. It takes on host MSU Denver on Dec. 12 before traveling across town to square off with Regis University on Dec. 14.