PUEBLO, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs junior forward Justin Smith led both teams with 18 points with a seven-of-nine performance from the field as the Mountain Lions (6-10, 5-6 RMAC) fell 104-74 to Colorado State-Pueblo (11-5, 9-2 RMAC) tonight in Massari Arena. Smith went two-of-two from the three-point line with a pair of free throws, and shared the team lead with five rebounds.

The Mountain Lions made five of their first seven field goals and took a 12-10 lead against the ThunderWolves in the first four minutes. CSU-Pueblo took the lead on an 8-2 rally, and used a 15-4 run later in the first half for a 39-25 advantage. Brandon Malone made three free throws at the end of the first half after drawing the foul on a desperation shot as part of 18 free throw attempts for the Mountain Lions in the period to cut the CSU-Pueblo lead down to nine points at 50-41 at halftime. Smith scored 12 of his 18 points by the break

The ThunderWolves shot 61 percent from the field in the second half to extend their lead throughout the final 20 minutes. Blend Avdili led UCCS in the second half with nine points and led the bench with 14 total points tonight. Brandon Malone finished the game with 15 points and Ryan VanPelt matched his season-high with five rebounds. The Mountain Lions finished with 44 rebounds, the most since Dec. 10.

UCCS will head into the mountains next week for a Friday game at Western State (4-11, 3-8 RMAC) in Gunnison, Colo. The Mountain Lions won the first meeting against the Mountaineers 82-65 on Dec. 30.