The NMHU Cowboys lost their final regular season game against in state rival WNMU 93-83. WNMU led for much of the game. The Cowboys came from behind in the first half to gain the lead but the Mustangs tied it up at the half and never looked back securing the victory. With their loss to the Mustangs the Cowboys, led by Head Coach Joe Harge, fall to a 15-7 record in the RMAC and 19-7 overall.
Thomas Manzano led the Cowboys in the game scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Manzano shot 6-9 from the field and made 15 of his 22 free throw attempts. He would add three assists and two steals in his 38 minutes on the court.
Mike Moody had 13 points to add to the Cowboys scoring in the game. Moody would add nine rebounds, three steals and a block in 23 minutes of playing time.
Mindaugas Markevicius rounded out the top scorers for the Cowboys with 11 points. Markevicius shot 30% from three point range and added two rebounds and a blocked shot playing 19 minutes in the game.
WNMU came out of the gates scoring early, but the Cowboys answered basket for basket for the first five minutes of the game. The Mustangs then jumped out to a five point lead with 14:25 remaining in the half. WNMU maintained the single digit lead until
Mindaugas Markevicius hit a three point shot to tie it up with 8:53 to go. Markevicius sank two free throws at the 7:16 mark to give the Cowboys their first lead of the game.
Mike Moody hit a jump shot to extend the Cowboys lead to four with 3:16 left in the half, but the Mustangs fought back to tie the game at half time 30-30.
Momcilo Latinovic hit a three pointer after the break to give the Cowboys the first lead of the second half. WNMU kept the game close and took the lead by two when TJ Riley made a jumper in the paint with 16:02 left in the game. The game continued to go back and forth until two free throw shots by Lucio Luttrell extended the Mustangs lead to five points. WNMU would not look back and continued to extend their second half lead as the Cowboys struggled to make shots down the stretch. The Mustangs would lead by as much as 17 points in the second half. Despite the Cowboy's best efforts they couldn't close the gap and when the final buzzer sounded WNMU had captured the victory by 10 points with a final score of 93-83. With the loss the Cowboys finish the regular season in fifth place in the conference, earning a spot in the RMAC Shootout.
The Cowboys will begin post season play 3/1 when they travel to Alamosa, Colo. to face the fourth place Adams State Grizzlies. The Cowboys will visit Plachy Hall to take on a Grizzlies team that boasts a 15-7 RMAC record and 19-7 overall. Tip off for the game is set for 8pm. If you can't make the trip up to Colo. to watch your Cowboys in the Quarterfinals of the RMAC Shootout you can watch them LIVE on the America One Network. Click
HERE for more information on how you can watch your Cowboys in action LIVE on the America One Network.
Click
HERE for Complete Stats
Click
HERE for RMAC Shootout Tournament Central
GO COWBOYS!!!
