PUEBLO, Colo. - The Adams State Women's Basketball team battled until the very but fell just short of a comeback bid on the road, 65-64, against the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves on Friday night. The loss moves the Grizzlies record to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the RMAC.

A buzzer beating shot by Marshell Hollins at the end of regulation look to tie the game at 65-all but her foot was on the line and cost the Grizzlies a chance to force overtime inside Massari Arena.

CSU-Pueblo (4-4, 2-0 RMAC) found a rhythm right away and started the game with an 11-2 run but Adams State settled the game down with a 6-0 run to stay within striking distance. The quick back-and-forth from both squads put the score at 11-8, Thunderwolves, with 5:48 to play. A three from Stephanie Ruiz capped the Grizzlies 6-0 run and set up what was a hard fought night.

CSU-Pueblo hit a jump shot at the buzzer to close out the opening frame as Adams State trailed by just three, 23-20, going into the second. The second quarter was once again a battle. The Thunderwolves led by as much as eight points on two separate occasions but the Grizzlies never let them establish a lead that potentially put the game away.

A layup from Maddie Dorris at the 8:59 mark kept the Grizzlies within three, 29-26, early on. Darias Whittington hit a triple late in quarter to cut the Thunderwolves lead to just two, 31-29, but a quick 6-0 Thunderwolves run put the Grizzlies deficit back at eight, 37-29. Looking to stay within reach going into the break, Danielle Jimenez hit a three-pointer that sparked a 7-3 run to close out the half.

Despite trailing by four at the break, 40-36, Adams State shot 48% from the floor to CSU-Pueblo's 45.7%. What help the Thunderwolves maintain the lead through the whole first half was 10 points off of the Grizzlies 12 turnovers.

The third quarter belonged to the Grizzlies as they put up 14 points and held the Thunderwolves to just seven to grab a 50-47 lead going into the fourth. The home team pushed its lead to six, 42-36, with a pair of early free throws, but a 9-0 run by Adams State help them earn their first lead of the night.

Zakiya Beckles gave the Grizzlies a one-point edge, 43-42, with a triple at the 4:48 mark as part of the 9-0 run. Dorris closed out the run with a layup with 3:57 to play in the third. The Thunderwolves looked to respond and strung together a 5-0 run to retake the lead, 47-45. It did not last though as the Grizzlies closed out the third quarter with a 5-0 run of their own and led by three going into the fourth.

Both teams came out trading quick shots in the final frame but the final five minutes was there things got interesting. The Grizzlies found themselves down seven, 63-56, with 3:06 left on the clock but clawed their way back into contention to nearly force overtime.

Beckles hit a floater in paint with six seconds to play. Following a 1-2 trip at the line by CSU-Pueblo, Hollins hit a long jumper at the buzzer to nearly send the came into extra minutes.

Ruiz led Adams State in scoring with 19 points on a 50% shooting (6-12). She was 3-5 from deep and a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line. Dorris added 12 points on a 5-8 shooting performance and pulled in six rebounds. Brooke Neal led the team in rebounds with seven.

As a team, the Grizzlies finished the night with a 41.5 shooting percentage, while limiting the Thunderwolves to 37.1%. A difference maker in the Thunderwolves one-point win was 26 points scored off of 22 turnovers by the Grizzlies. 

Khiya Adams led CSU-Pueblo in scoring with a game-high 23 points off the bench. She posted a double-double as she also had a game-high 10 boards on the night. JaNiya Davis was second in points with 17 on 6-11 shooting and dished out six assists to lead all players. Jennah Knafelc rounded out the double-digit scoring with 12.

The Grizzlies will look to bounce back Saturday night as they head to Las Vegas, N.M. to take on the Cowgirls of New Mexico Highlands. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. inside John A. Wilson Complex.