Box Score The NMHU Women's Basketball team lost in a thrilling home game, 63-60, against the NCAA DII seventh ranked Roadrunners of Metro State College. Despite the outcome, this may have been one of the best games that the Cowgirls have played all year. The Roadrunners were the first to score, but the Cowgirls quickly showed that they had every intention of making this a game. The teams went back and forth for much of the first half of play, tying the game up six times in the first ten minutes of play. The Cowgirls finally were able to hold the lead after
China Smith hit a jump shot with 5:36 left in the half. The Cowgirls were playing tenacious defense against the seventh ranked team in the nation and they were converting their shots on the offensive side.
Whitley Coca hit a big three-point shot, with 3:44 left in the first half, to give the Cowgirls a seven point lead. When the buzzer sounded to end the first half of play it was the Cowgirls who were in the lead by five points, 33-28, to the delight of an excited home crowd. The Cowgirls scored first in the second half, but the Roadrunners quickly cut the lead down and took the lead with 16:10 left to play. The teams went back and forth in a very close contest. The Cowgirls regained the lead at the 13:46 mark and began to play with determination. They held their lead the next four minutes, before the Roadrunners again closed the gap and took a one point lead. The teams continued to battle back and forth. The home fans were on the edge of their seats in this thrilling contest when
Brittany Neeley dropped a huge three pointer with 3:53 left in the game to give the Cowgirls the 57-54 lead. Then Metro State showed why they are one of the top ranked teams in DII when they retook the lead and played a very smart game down the stretch. Some missed opportunities in the final minutes would come back to haunt the Cowgirls, but they never stopped fighting and kept closing to within one point of the Roadrunners. When the final buzzer sounded it was Metro State who would squeak by with the three point road victory, 63-30. With the loss the Cowgirls, led by Head Coach Tiffany Darling, fall to an 8-13 record in the RMAC and 12-13 in overall play.
“The Silent Assassin,”
Alyssa Lopez, once again quietly lead the Cowgirls in scoring. She only had two points in the first half, but she exploded for 15 points in the second half to finish with 17 points in her 32 minutes on the court. Lopez was money from the free-throw line, shooting 9-11 in the contest, including some clutch free throws in the final minutes, and added three rebounds and a steal to her night's totals.
China Smith had another big night for the Cowgirls. She scored 12 points and teased at a double-double with eight rebounds. Smith played well on defense and was a powerhouse for the Cowgirls in the paint. She shot 5-11 from the field and added a steal in her team leading 37 minutes of playing time.
Whitley Coca rounded out the top performers for the Cowgirls. Although she is still recovering from an injury, she came off the bench to score 10 points. Coca added two rebounds, an assist and a steal in her 17 minutes on the court, but it was her two big-time three pointers that really excited the home crowd.
Both teams struggled a little bit in their shooting during the game, but much of that can be attributed to some outstanding defense played by both sides. The Cowgirls really elevated their game in this contest and came within minutes of upsetting the NCAA DII seventh ranked team.
The Cowgirls will play their final regular season game of the year, on 2/25, as they host their in-state rivals the Mustangs of Western New Mexico University. The Mustangs are currently in last place in the RMAC with a 0-21 conference record and 0-24 in overall play. The last time the teams met, on 1/21, the Cowgirls grabbed a comfortable 79-52 road victory, in Silver City, N.M. The game is scheduled for a 6 pm tip-off time. This will be the final home game of the season for the Cowgirls and Cowboys, so NMHU Athletics will be honoring the senior players from both teams during the games. If you can't make it out to the John A. Wilson Complex to watch your Cowgirls in action on Senior Night, you can click
HERE to watch the game LIVE on the America One network.
GO COWGIRLS!!!
