PUEBLO, Colo. -- Midwestern State dominated the opening nine minutes of the second half building a 14-point lead with just over 11 minutes to play Saturday night in the finale of the Al Kaly Shriner Classic Saturday night at Massari Arena.
 
But the Mustangs were unable to hold of Colorado State-Pueblo down the stretch, falling 69-64.
 
"I am crushed for the guys," MSU Texas coach Justin Leslie said. "I am also proud of the way the team kept its composure and showed class. That is the type of culture we're working hard to build."
 
The Mustangs outscored Colorado State-Pueblo 19-2 over a nearly 9-minute stretch at the start of second half highlighted by 3-pointers by D'monta Harris and Darius Thompson. MSU pushed the lead to a game-high 48-34 when John Weger hit a layup in transition with 11:14 to play.
 
But Colorado State-Pueblo converted on 21-of-25 free throws over the final 11 minutes to chip away to regain the lead with just under three minutes to go.
 
The Thunderwolves pushed the advantage to as many as five points in the closing minutes, but Midwestern State fought back to within two on three occasions as Elijah Lee produced a layup off of a steal with 1:06 to go and Trae Jones canned a triple to get back to within a bucket with 26 seconds to go, then Reggie Rivera penetrated for a layup in the final 10 seconds.
 
But CSU-Pueblo used a three-point play by Brandon McGhee and were 6-of-7 from the charity stripe to seal the victory.
 
Overall, the Thunderwolves, who committed 11 total team fouls, knocked down 27-of-35 free throws, while Midwestern State was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. The Mustangs were whistled for 31 total fouls including two disqualifications.
 
Senior Darius Thompson paced the Mustangs with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with two 3-pointers, while Jones pitched in 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
 
Tyson Gilbert was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field with 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 17 points for Colorado State-Pueblo.
 
The Mustangs (0-2) take on West Texas A&M Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.