PUEBLO, CO- The Cougars headed south to take on CSU Pueblo on Thursday night as they looked to keep their unbeaten streak in 2025 alive. They nearly did as they fought tooth and nail with a Thunderwolves team that came in undefeated in RMAC play, falling at the last second by a final score of 66-63.
Elise Grosdidier opened the games' scoring with a jumper, and
Dasiya Jones put her team up 4-0 with a jumper of her own.
Nicole Bowlin continued to shoot well from beyond the arc with a three while another Bowlin trey gave CCU a 10-4 advantage.
Mia Guest splashed home a three-pointer moments later as the lead stretched to 17-6. Leading 21-8, CSUP went on a small run to close the gap to 21-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The Thunderwolves continued to chip away at the lead, taking their first lead 24-23 midway through the quarter.
Maggie Phipps put her team back in front with a pair of free throws, a three and a jumper for the 30-26 lead. Phipps stayed hot with a layup and another three-pointer as she led her team to a 35-30 halftime lead.
The two teams continued to battle back and forth as the lead hovered between 1-5 points for the first few minutes of the quarter. Jones hit a late layup as the hosts managed to grab a 51-50 lead as the final quarter arrived.
Hayley Luther immediately drilled a three to give her team the lead back, and she connected for another moments later for the 56-55 lead. With 2:49 to play, Bowlin cashed a three-pointer to tie the game at 63-63 as the teams entered crunch time. The defenses set in from there, and CSUP managed to gain the 66-63 lead. CCU had several looks to tie the game in the final seconds, but neither look from three fell as the Cougars put up an extremely strong effort in a narrow 66-63 setback.
Bowlin had an excellent night, pacing her team with 22 points and 5 assists to go along with 7 rebounds. Phipps tallied 13 points, while Jones led the team with 11 rebounds.
Colorado Christian plays next on January 16 at nearby MSU Denver with tipoff slated for 6 p.m. MST.
