With another weekend off for the men’s team, my wife and I were at Massari Arena Friday evening to watch the CSU Pueblo women post an 80-72 win over Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rival Regis University at Massari Arena for a non-league game.
The Pack men return to action Thursday evening at Massari versus Colorado Christian and travel to Colorado Springs Saturday to play UCCS in an afternoon contest. The women play both days, starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
The women have now won seven straight games and are on a roll. Their 80 points against Regis were a season-high. The Ranger women have been a significant hurdle for the Pack gals over the past two seasons. Regis has won the RMAC’s post-season tournament the past two years and eliminated CSU Pueblo in the playoffs two years ago.
In the RMAC women’s basketball standings, CSU Pueblo is first in the conference with a 4-0 record and tied with Black Hills State. They also have the league’s best overall record of 9-3, which means they performed well in non-conference compared to other teams. The second half of the season will be fun to watch, and hopefully, they can validate their good start in the league.
Alisha Little, the reigning RMAC defensive player of the year, is a force for the Pack women. She scored 30 points against Regis, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked five Ranger shots. She was also credited with four steals and three assists. I don’t think you can have much more of a well-rounded game when looking at a box score at Alisha’s statistics.
This is my second season of consistently watching Little on the court. It is impressive to see how much she affects the game, not only on the offensive side, where the other team must constantly help or try to double-team her. Alisha’s abilities help create so many looks for her teammates; if other teams don’t scheme enough, she ends up having a good night.
Little leads the RMAC in points (22.9), rebounds (9.9), and blocked shots (3.45) per game this season. Nationally, in NCAA Division II, she is third in points, 23rd in rebounds, and third in blocked shots. Her eight double-doubles this year are tied for first.
Among all women’s collegiate participants who have played for Colorado schools, Little is first in block shots and third in scoring and rebounding. She is six points short of reaching the No. 2 spot in scoring behind Hall of Famer Becky Hammon from Colorado State.
I join my teammates and the women in asking everyone to visit Massari Arena on Thursday for the RMAC doubleheader versus Colorado Christian. The Pack men are a game behind the women in wins overall and in the RMAC at 8-4 and 3-1.
