Box Score The NMHU Cowboys notched their second straight win as they edged out the Mountaineers of Western State College by a final score of 84-81 in front of a raucous home crowd on 12/9. The Cowboys started the game by jumping out in front of the Mountaineers from the get-go, leading by as much as eight in the first half. The Mountaineers would not stop chasing the Cowboys as they would pull within seven points at the close of the first half as NMHU led 48-41 going into the halftime break. The Cowboys continued their offensive onslaught led my
Marcus Williams in the second half to lead by as much as 12 points, but just like in the first half the tenacious Western State team wouldn't quit. The Mountaineers continued to plug away and would eventually make it an 81-81 ball game going into the closing minutes.
Lionel Coleman would break the tie with 1:09 minutes remaining on the clock as he sank one of his two free throws to put the Cowboys up 82-81. Both teams remained scoreless through most of the final minute of play until
Billy Austin sank his two free throws after a WSC foul to put the Cowboys up 84-81 with six seconds remaining. Finally, the Cowboys would thwart the Mountaineers last ditch effort to send the game into overtime as
Aaryon Williams would intercept a Mountaineer pass to seal the 84-81 win for the Cowboys. With the win, the Cowboys improve to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The Cowboys will continue their home stand on 12/10 when they host the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa University at 8:00 p.m. in the John A. Wilson Complex.
“This is a good win over a much improved Western State team. We are a young team that needs to improve each time we play, we need to improve from the free throw line. All-in-all tonight was a great way to start our first home stand of the season. Now it's time to focus on tomorrow night's game against Colorado Mesa”, commented NMHU Head Coach Joe Harge following his Cowboys 84-81 win over Western State College on 12/9.
As a team, the Cowboys finished the night with shooting 46% from the field and 53% from three point land. The Cowboys wouldn't have much luck from the free throw line as they finished the night shooting a lowly 50%. The Cowboy defense caused Western State fits all night as the Cowboys racked up 10 steals and forced 19 WSC turnovers.
Marcus Williams finished the night leading all scorers with 24 points. Williams would add in one rebound, five assists and five steals to his stats for the night.
Momcilo Latinovic had an impressive night finishing 7-9 from the field and a perfect 2-2 from the three point line. Latinovic finished with 17 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in his 31 minutes of playing time.
Billy Austin rounds out the top performers for the Cowboys. Austin finished the night with a season high 12 rebounds to lead all players for the game. Austin added in 15 points, five assists and one steal for the night.
The Cowboys will hit the hardwood again on 12/10 when the host the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa University at 8:00 p.m. in the John A. Wilson Complex. The Mavericks (5-2; 3-0 RMAC) come into the game sitting second in the RMAC standings behind Metro State. If you can't make the trip to Las Vegas to watch your Cowboys in action, you can always watch them live on the America One Network. Click
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GO COWBOYS!!!
