Box Score The NMHU Women's Basketball team finished the 2011-12 RMAC basketball season on a high note with a 94-79 victory over their in-state rival the Mustangs of Western New Mexico University. The Mustangs came into the game looking for their first win of the season and they started the game with purpose. WNMU went on the attack from the get go and started knocking down three pointers immediately. With just under two minutes of play, the Mustangs had taken a five point lead on the Cowgirls home court. However, the Cowgirls gathered themselves together and began what was to be a great ending performance to the season. The Cowgirls would lead by as much as 15 points in the first half of play and when the buzzer sounded for halftime they took a 12 point lead into the locker room, up 51-39. “The Silent Assassin,”
Alyssa Lopez, had managed to score 20 points in the first half and she was about to complete her most impressive game of the season in the second half. The Mustangs were the first to score in the second half and they worked the Cowgirls lead down to nine points with 15:07 left in the game. The Cowgirls would not let them get any closer than that. They began to play some excellent team basketball and with 13:52 on the clock the Cowgirls had worked their lead back up to 16 points.
Alyssa Lopez was cutting to the basket like never before and the team rallied behind her to take the game straight to the Mustangs. The Cowgirls led by as much as 20 points in the second half and when the final buzzer sounded they had come away victorious in their final game of the season, 94-79, against their in-state rivals from WNMU. The Cowgirls finished with four players scoring in double figures and two players with double-double performances. With the victory the Cowgirls, led by Head Coach Tiffany Darling, improve to a 9-13 record in the RMAC and 13-13 in overall play.
“The Silent Assassin,”
Alyssa Lopez, completely dominated the game against the Mustangs in her 37 minutes on the court. She scored a career high 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to complete her double-double performance. Lopez was very close to getting a triple-double, by finishing with eight steals in the game, two steals away from that impressive mark. Lopez was 10-19 from the field and reached the free-throw line a mind boggling 25 times, making 17 of her 25 attempts from the charity stripe. She would also add three assists and two blocked shots to her outstanding game performance. Her 38 points in the game is the most scored in a single game by a player in the RMAC this season, beating her previous mark of 33 points against Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
Head Coach Tiffany Darling was ecstatic with Lopez's game against the Mustangs. She said, “The game Alyssa played may be the best single-game performance in Cowgirls' history. She was simply outstanding. She could have easily scored 50 points tonight. Her 38 points tonight should all but seal her place as the RMAC scoring leader this season.” As of this writing Lopez has scored 389 total points in conference play, for a 17.7 points per game average, good enough for first place in both categories in conference games played. In all games played this season, including conference and non-conference play, Lopez has scored 477 points with an 18.3 points per game average, again good enough for first place in both categories.
China Smith continued her successful career as a Cowgirl with another double-double performance this season. She scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on her way to the double-double mark. Smith played 27 minutes in the game and added two assists and two steals to her night's totals. Smith is currently ranked eighth in the RMAC in rebounding with a 6.9 rebounds per game average and 179 total rebounds grabbed this season.
Senior
Domonique Rivera finished her career as a Cowgirl in style against the Mustangs. She scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, just two rebounds shy of the double-double mark. Rivera also stole the ball twice and she was rock solid on defense in her 32 minutes on the court. Domonique has been an important player for the Cowgirls in their quest for improvement in the RMAC.
Trish Simpson rounded out the Cowgirls top offensive performers against the Mustangs. She scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in 31 minutes of playing time. Simpson played very well in the game and was a key part of the Cowgirls victory over WNMU.
The Cowgirls finish their 2011-12 season in ninth place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, with a 9-13 conference record and 13-13 in overall play. The Cowgirls will once again just miss out on making the RMAC Shootout by one place. With the overall record of 13-13, this is the first Cowgirls Basketball team led by Head Coach Tiffany Darling to finish with a .500 record. Coach Darling continues to improve the Cowgirls Basketball program every year and with only losing two senior this season, the Cowgirls should be back better than ever for the 2012-13 season next year. Coach Darling is building a quality program of excellent student-athletes who excel on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. We look forward to seeing you at the John A. Wilson Complex next season for the 2012-13 edition of NMHU Cowgirls Basketball. You can keep up with all the latest news about Cowgirls basketball on the
NMHU Athletics' Webpage.
GO COWGIRLS!!!
