ALAMOSA, Colo. (February 14, 2014) – It was a game that appeared to have a clear winner but turned into a last second thriller.
After trailing 75-66 with 2:50 remaining, Adams State University cut Colorado State University-Pueblo's nine point lead to a one possession affair in a mere 90 seconds. The Grizzlies went on to tie the game at 77-77 but the last possession belonged in the hands of CSU-Pueblo's Bronson Moton whose jumper fell through the net with three seconds remaining to give the ThunderWolves a 79-77 win from Plachy Hall on Saturday night.
Initiating the comeback was full court pressure and tight defense by ASU. In the aforementioned 90 seconds that saw the tides turn, ASU was able to force a pair of CSU-Pueblo turnovers. From the turnovers, and creating difficult shots for the ThunderWolves, senior
Justin Kauffman nailed a three-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 75-73. After a CSU-Pueblo free throw
Mike Hemsley followed with an and-one bucket on the next ASU possession but missed his free throw opportunity.
The ThunderWolves tacked on another free throw but a
Marcus Hall layup eventually knotted the game at 77-77 with 19 seconds remaining. Moton's game-winning jumper followed as
Juwan Buchanan's last second heave fell short.
The loss on Valentine 's Day drops ASU to 15-7 overall and 11-7 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) games. CSU-Pueblo improves to 17-7, 13-5 RMAC with the win. Currently, ASU remains in seventh place of the conference standings.
Buchanan led all players with 19 points as
Shakir Smith chipped in 16 along with six assists. Hemsley was also in double figures with 15 points. Moton led the ThunderWolves' efforts with 16 points.
The Grizzlies conclude their regular season home portion of the schedule next week against Regis University (Feb. 20) and Metropolitan State University of Denver (Feb. 21). Both games are set for a 7:30 p.m. start.
