The Westminster men’s basketball team saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end with an 85-69 loss to Colorado State – Pueblo on Friday night in the Behnken Field House.
Westminster (13-7, 13-5 RMAC) trailed for most of the night as it wasn't able to get a lead after an early 6-3 advantage. CSU-Pueblo (17-7, 15-4 RMAC) continued to force the Griffins into turnovers and making 45.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Pueblo led 39-34 at halftime despite the Griffins shooting 57.9 percent from the field. The ThunderWolves opened the second half with a 27-12 run in the first nine minutes to lead by 20. The Griffins were back within 15 when the visitors scored seven-straight points to start a 9-2 run to secure its largest lead of the night at 80-58.
The Griffins finished the game shooting 44.0 percent after hitting on 35.5 percent in the second half. They committed 18 turnovers, which resulted in 17 points for Pueblo. CSUP shot 42.9 percent overall and scored 20 points on 12 offensive rebounds.
Tanner Newbold scored a career-high 15 points for the Griffins. He made five 3-pointers – the most by a Griffin in a game this season – in 25 minutes off the bench. Dayon Goodman also scored 15 points with six rebounds and two blocked shots. Zerrion Payton had 12 points, and Casey Evans went for eight points and 10 rebounds.
Pueblo buried 11 threes in the game and was 6-of-10 from deep in the second half. The Griffins had a 34-33 edge on the boards and hit 83.9 percent at the foul line.
Josh Smith led the ThunderWolves with 16 points and three steals. Rico Spikes had 15 points, and Gavin Liggett added 14 on 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The loss drops the Griffins three games behind RMAC leader Fort Lewis with four games remaining. They are back in action on Saturday when they host New Mexico Highlands at 7:30 p.m., in the Behnken Field House.