Box Score SILVER CITY, N.M. – Tied 34 at halftime, the Cowboys rained triples in the second half to bury the Mustangs as New Mexico Highlands (10-7 overall, 7-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) beat Western New Mexico (1-15, 1-12 RMAC) 81-70 Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25).
Tied at 34 at the break, the Cowboys imposed its will for the majority of the second half, building a lead as large as 20 points. Down 36 -35 just 30 seconds into the half, the only deficit for the Cowboys in the last stanza, senior
Dominick Baca hit a jumper to give Highlands the lead for good with 19 minutes left. Baca finished with a game-high 21 points, also a career-best for the senior. Senior
Stargell Love put Highlands up 41-36 with a couple of free throws and a fast break lay-up off a defensive rebound from classmate
Stuart Sullivan.
Later in the half up 50-44, it was another five unanswered that put the Cowboys up double-digits. Love hit two more free throws – Highlands hit 20-28 (71.4 percent) from the line compared to the Mustangs 13-24 mark (54.2 percent) – and senior
Lavell McDade buried a triple. McDade, in his first action since Dec. 6, now has five-straight double-digit scoring games on the year.
The whole second half was a series of mini runs for the Cowboys, as seven unanswered in the middle of the stanza all but sealed the win. Sophomore
Drew Martin nailed a jumper and triple on back-to-back possessions and senior
Mannie Cass added a pair from the line to put the Cowboys up 67-49 with 9:19 left.
Cass finished the game with 16 points and 11 boards, his second double-double of the season. Cass (nine points and six boards) and Baca (eight points) helped keep the game close in the first half as the Mustangs never led by more than three.
The final knockout blow came with just minutes remaining. Up 69-55 with 7:11 left, Highlands scored six unanswered over a two-minute span to push the lead to 20. McDade hit a jumper, Baca hit a pair from the line and junior
Javerik Nelson capped the run with a jumper for Highlands biggest lead of the contest.
Western New Mexico ended the game with a 7-2 run to only lose by 11. The Mustangs were able to keep the game close in the first half thanks to a 5-10 (50 percent) mark from beyond the arc, but only went 2-7 in the second half (28.6 percent). Meanwhile, the Cowboys were hot from deep in the second half, canning 5-8 of their shots (62.5 percent) from distance.
Edward Estavillo led the home team with 18 while Marcos Castrillo added the double-double (17 points, 13 rebounds).
The New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team returns to action Friday (Jan. 31) when it hosts CSU-Pueblo. Start time is approximately 8 p.m.
