Box Score LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Cowgirls made some breathing room with inside players kicking it out for three-pointers and the inside play of senior
China Smith sealed the win in New Mexico Highlands (6-6, 3-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) 74-63 win over Fort Lewis (7-5, 4-4 RMAC) in women's basketball at the John A. Wilson Complex Friday night (Jan. 10).
Falling behind by 12 points only seven minutes into the game, Highlands slowly chipped away at the Skyhawks advantage to take its first lead with 3:40 left in the first half. Down 30-28, junior
Jenny Johnson completed an old-fashioned three-point play to give Highlands its first lead of the night. Classmate
Claudia Meneses made a lay-up with 29 seconds left to put the Cowgirls up 35-34 in what proved to be the final score of the first half. The Highlands defense clamped down to force a Fort Lewis shot clock violation with just seconds remaining.
In a sign of things to come in the second half, Smith muscled her way in the paint and dished out to senior
Alyssa Lopez on the left wing. She drained the three and the Cowgirls were up four only 15 seconds out of halftime. After the teams traded baskets, Smith – who finished the second half with 10 points and seven boards alone – tallied the hoop and harm to put Highlands up seven.
Smith finished the game with 14 points and 12 boards for her fifth double-double of the season. Lopez led the Cowgirls with 17 points, including a 6-6 mark from the line. Johnson added 16 points on 4-7 shooting (57.1 percent) and a 7-9 mark (77.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
New Mexico Highlands only hit 7-21 (33.3 percent) of its three-pointers for the game, but was 4-9 (44.4 percent) in the second half.
With the Cowgirls up 56-50, Smith worked her way inside for a lay-up off a Johnson helper. Fort Lewis missed the front-end of a one-and-one and Lopez sank both free throws to push the lead to 10 with 7:37 left.
Back-to-back threes near the end of the game sealed the Cowboys win. First, Johnson found junior
Katie Gannon for the 71-57 lead. After a pair of free throws for Fort Lewis, Johnson sank a three just as the shot clock expired on a pass from Lopez. The Cowgirls led 74-59 with a minute left, their largest lead of the game.
Fort Lewis was led by Kristie Groh's 21 points. Erika Richards has 16 points while Ashley Kuchar turned in a solid night with nine points, four assists and four steals against no turnovers.
After the visitors raced out to an 18-6 lead just seven minutes in, the Cowgirls answered with a 10-2 run of its own to cut the deficit to four only three minutes later. Senior
Brittany Neeley hit a jumper on a dime from Johnson. Neeley then stole the ball and found senior
T.J.Manson down low, who kicked out to sophomore
Leisha Crawford for the triple
. Fort Lewis answered with a lay-up, but Gannon nailed a three from Neeley and a lay-up by junior
Trish Simpson punctuated the run with a lay-up with 10:13 left in the first half.
The visitors led 28-24 with six minutes left, but Lopez made a pair from the line to cut the deficit in half. After a Fort Lewis foul, Johnson hit a lay-up with 4:04 left in the first to knot the game at 28, the first tie of the game.
The New Mexico Highlands women's basketball team returns to action Saturday (Jan. 10) when it takes on Adams State. The Grizzlies improved to 7-6 overall and 3-5 in the RMAC after a 52-45 win Friday night over Western New Mexico.
