Box Score PUEBLO, Colo. – The Cowgirls gave up the first 11 points of the game and could never catch up as New Mexico Highlands University (4-5, 1-5 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fell 65-56 to Colorado State-Pueblo (9-3, 6-0 RMAC) Saturday night (Dec. 21) in Pueblo, Colo.
Highlands missed its first nine shots and had a pair of turnovers as CSU-Pueblo raced out to an 11-0 lead. Junior
Katie Gannon got the Cowgirls on the board six minutes into the game on a pass from freshman
Guilia Simioni.
Pueblo led by as much as 19 in the second half before Highlands made the game interesting. Trailing 47-28 with 11:52 left in the game, senior
Alyssa Lopez split from the line and nailed a triple. Then sophomore
Michelle Traynham added another Cowgirls' triple as the deficit was cut to 12.
Down 55-41, Highlands scored another seven unanswered to pull within seven. Senior
TJ Manson split from the line before classmate
Patrina Goree grabbed a steal. Manson then hit a jumper on a helper from junior
Anngelina Sanchez. Sanchez then hit her own jumper, followed by a jumper in the key from Manson to cut the deficit to seven. The Cowgirls could not climb any closer as the ThunderWolves hit 5-8 from the line over the final 1:22.
Sanchez came off the bench for a team-high 12 points. Junior
Jenny Johnson turned in a solid game with nine points and eight boards. Lopez also had nine points for the Cowgirls, including hitting both three-pointers shot. Katie Nehf paced the ThunderWolves with 14 points, 14 rebounds and three rejections. Paige Ramm added 17 points.
CSU-Pueblo was able to outrebound Highlands 49-36; however, it only led 9-7 in second chance points.
The Cowgirls return to action Jan. 3, 2014 when it hosts Metro State. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
