PUEBLO, CO – Aspiring to start 2020 with a quality result the Colorado Christian men's basketball squad were not able to pick-up the road win.

CSU-Pueblo built a big lead in the opening half and carried that the edge the rest of the way in posting an 85-78 victory on Friday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED: The home team used a strong shooting performance from the foul line to build a double-digit lead in the first half. In the opening frame the Thunderwolves went 17-for-19 from the charity stripe as they took a 45-28 lead into the locker room. CSU-Pueblo led by double figures the last seven-plus minutes of the stanza.

As the opening minutes of the second half unfolded, both teams shot well as Colorado Christian hit nine of its first 11 attempts while the Thunderwolves went 10-for-14 from the floor, including four converted field goals from behind the arc. With just over 12 minutes left in the contest, CSU-Pueblo continued to hold a 17-point lead (69-52).

Each team continued to shoot well as the minutes ticked away. Elijah Oliver was a one-man wrecking crew as he scored 17 points in just over 15 second half minutes to aid in his team's comeback effort.

With just over three minutes remaining the Cougars pulled within 78-73. Colorado Christian was able to pull within five points on two more occasions down the stretch but could not get a possession with a chance to take the lead or tie.  

COUGAR LEADERS: Oliver and Spencer Hoffman each had a team high 17 points. Jake Hornick added 12-point effort. On the boards, Hoffman had a team best seven as Aidan Cantwell dropped five assists in 30 minutes on the court.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• CSU-Pueblo concluded the game 22-for-26 from the foul line
• Colorado Christian shot 67 percent from inside the arc
• The Cougars bench outscored the home team reserves 32-19