Box Score The NMHU Women's Basketball team ended up victorious at home against the Mountain Lions of the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, by the final score of 71-65. The Cowgirls were looking to get their conference season back on track and they did so against the Mountain Lions. The Cowgirls had a great night shooting from the free-throw line as they shot 80% from the charity stripe making 29 of their 36 attempts. They also benefited from a 37% shooting percentage from behind the three-point line. The Cowgirls were able to overcome a game high scoring effort from the Mountain Lions' Danielle Brown and NMHU had two of their players score in double figures. With the win the Cowgirls, led by Head Coach Tiffany Darling, improve to a 6-9 record in the RMAC and 10-9 in overall play.
China Smith played an outstanding game against the Mountain Lions, leading the Cowgirls with 19 points. She was 5-10 from the field and an excellent 9-10 from the free-throw line in the game. Smith led the Cowgirls in rebounding with seven boards, and added three steals and two assist in her 25 minutes on the court.
The “Silent Assassin,”
Alyssa Lopez, once again quietly got herself on the scoring leader board with 16 points. She started out slowly, with only four points at halftime, but she exploded in the second half to score 12 more points. Lopez shot 9-12 from the charity stripe and added two rebounds and two steals in her 30 minutes of playing time.
Katie Gannon rounded out the Cowgirls' top scorers with nine points. She got all of her points from behind the three-point line, and added two rebounds and a blocked shot in her 16 minutes on the court.
The Cowgirls also benefited from the play of
Domonique Rivera and
Eboni Jacobs. Rivera led the Cowgirls in playing time with 32 minutes. Domonique scored six points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists, blocked a shot and had one steal for the Cowgirls. Jacobs scored eight points, grabbed four rebounds, had three assists and a steal in her 25 minutes on the court.
The Mountain Lions took the early lead in the game, jumping out to a four point advantage. The Cowgirls tied the game up at six apiece, with 16:50 on the clock, when
Ashley Godfrey sank both of her free-throw shots. The Cowgirls took their first lead of the game, 10-8, when
Domonique Rivera hit both her free-throw shots. The teams went back and forth, and it was UCCS's Danielle Brown that would tie the game up at 15 apiece when she hit a jumper with 11:01 remaining in the half. The Cowgirls would lead by as much as five points in the first half, but the Mountain Lions kept closing the gap. With time running out of the first half of play, both teams switched the lead.
Katie Gannon sank a three pointer with only three seconds left on the clock, and the Cowgirls took a two point lead into halftime, up 39-37.
The Cowgirls'
Brittany Neeley scored the first points of the second half, but the Mountain Lions quickly regained their composure and looked to take control of the game. UCCS regained the lead with 17:56 remaining in the game, but the Cowgirls'
China Smith answered back with a layup to tie the game up at 43. The Cowgirls lost the momentum and UCCS was able to go on a 7-1 run to grab a six point lead, up 50-44. The Cowgirls worked their way back into contention and back-to-back three pointers by
Alyssa Lopez and
Eboni Jacobs tied the game up for the fifth time at 52 points apiece, with 11:04 left to go. The teams continued to exchange shots as the contest began to pick up in tempo. The Cowgirls finally took the lead for good at the seven minute mark when
Alyssa Lopez sank three of four straight free-throw shots. The Mountain Lions wouldn't give up, but a layup by
Eboni Jacobs, with 2:28 left in the game, gave the Cowgirls their biggest advantage at seven points. Some strategic timeouts by Head Coach Tiffany Darling, and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch by the Cowgirls ensured that they would capture the victory at home against the Mountain Lions. When the final buzzer had sounded, the Cowgirls emerged triumphant by the final score of 71-65.
The Cowgirls will continue conference action again, on 2/3, as they travel to Alamosa, Colo., to take on their conference rivals, the Grizzlies of Adams State College. The Grizzlies are sitting in 12th place in the RMAC with a 5-9 conference record and 6-12 in overall play. The Cowgirls were victorious the last time the two teams met in Las Vegas, on 1/7, earning a 23 point home win. The game is scheduled for a 6 pm tip-off time, with the Cowboys taking to the court shortly after the completion of the women's game. If you can't make it to Alamosa to watch your Cowgirls in action, you can click
HERE to watch the game LIVE on the America One network.
GO COWGIRLS!!!
