Box Score COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Cowboys and the Mountain Lions went back and forth for the contest's first nine minutes, but a 12-3 run by the home team put New Mexico Highlands University (5-4, 2-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) behind by double-digits and UC-Colorado Springs (6-3, 3-2 RMAC) claimed a 92-75 win Friday night (Dec. 20).
Senior
Mannie Cass – who scored 17 points along with junior
Luis Rodriguez Quintana coming off the bench – scored the first six points of the game for the Cowboys. Junior
Augustus French added a tip-in and a three by classmate
Terrance Lafayette gave the visitors a 11-9 lead, its largest of the game.
Leading 17-15, UC-Colorado Springs scored seven unanswered and never led by less than six the rest of the half. Alex Welsh split from the line and hit a jumper, Dalton Patten added a layup to push the Cowboys deficit to seven. A Derrick White jumper punctuated the run by the Mountain Lions.
Highlands trailed 46-34 at halftime.
In the second half, the Cowboys fell behind as much as 27. Down 86-61, Highlands went on a 14-4 run to cut into the deficit. Quintana hit a triple and senior
Alex Dantzler grabbed a steal and made the fastbreak lay-up. UC-Colorado State made a triple while being fouled to push its lead to 24, but Highlands scored nine straight. Junior
DaLand Stafford hit a pair from the line, senior
Cory Thompson added his lone bucket of the game and senior
Stuart Sullivan hit a three. A Sullivan jumper ended the mini-run for the Cowboys.
Tim Haas hit a jumper for the final score of the game for the Mountain Lions. UC-Colorado State went on to win 92-75. Tim Billingsley, along with Highlands Quintana and Cass, also scored 17. Four other Mountain Lions also reached double-digits, including 14 from Darius Pardner off the bench.
The Cowboys return to action tomorrow when it takes on Colorado-State-Pueblo. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
