GUNNISON, Colo. – The Cowgirls battled back from 15-points down in the first half, nine points behind near the end of regulation and five points down late in the first overtime, but the Mountaineers left nothing to chance in the second overtime as New Mexico Highlands (3-4, 2-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fell to Western State (2-5, 1-2 RMAC) 76-66 in two overtimes Friday night (Dec. 12) in Gunnison, Colorado.
 
After a personal and technical foul on the Cowgirls which resulted in the Mountaineers' Jade McIntosh going 3-for-4 from the charity stripe, Western State held a 52-43 advantage with 3:59 left in regulation. However, McIntosh missed the last one of that four-shot sequence and sophomore Giulia Simioni grabbed the defensive board and outletted to junior Miranda Martinez, who nailed a triple to cut the deficit to six with 3:51 left. The Mountaineers missed four free throws that could have salted the game away, and junior Brittany Brown hit a triple for the Cowgirls to cut the deficit to a single possession with 2:51 left. Senior Anngelina Sanchez, who led the Cowgirls with 22 points, tied the game at 52 with 1:48 left in regulation. However, both teams came up empty on two offensive possessions as the game went into the extra period.
 
In the first overtime, it was an even more remarkable comeback as Highlands faced a five-point deficit with 39 seconds left. This time, Simioni – who added 15 points and seven assists – kept the ball by herself and nailed a triple to bring the game within a single possession with 34 ticks left. Western State's Azia Lacy missed both free throws while Simioni buried both from the charity stripe on the other end to send it to a second period of extra basketball.
 
Tied at 65 with three minutes left in the second overtime, Western State's Stephanie Williams, who had 12 points of her own, hit a runner in the lane for the go-ahead basket. The Cowgirls made what looked to be the go-ahead three on the other end, but the basket as waved off as senior Emma Hart was whistled for trying to post up and Western State scored the next seven points to put the game away. The Mountaineers scored on 7-of-9 possessions in the second overtime to claim the 10-point win.
 
The Cowgirls fell behind by as much as 15 in the first half as Highlands only made 6-23 (26.1 percent) from the field but rebounded by hitting 12-23 (52.2 percent) in the second half to send the game into overtime. For the fifth-straight game, Sanchez reached double-digit scoring while Martinez reached double digits for the third time in as many games.
 
Steady shooting was the name of the game for the Mountaineers as they were 10-30 in the first half and 8-24 in the second half (33.3 percent). However, they hit 10-14 (71.4 percent) in overtime to claim the victory. McIntosh had a solid night for Western State with the double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Cowgirls scored the first three points of the game, but an 18-3 run by the home team pushed the lead to double-digits. Sydnie Lengyl, who came off the bench for 10 points, scored the first four points for Western State on a layup and two free throws to put Western State in the lead for good until the second overtime. Taylor Long scored on a fastbreak layup and Harleigh Williams knocked down a triple to make it 9-3. Simioni split from the line, but Ford hit a jumper and then a pair of free throws to make it 13-4 with 11:54 left in the first half. Both teams exchanged jumpers before a triple by Madison Cruse made it 18-6 with 9:49 left in the half. Highlands cut the deficit to six, but a 10-1 run pushed the home advantage to 29-14 with 34 seconds left in the first half. Simioni gave the Cowgirls a little momentum with a layup right before half.
 
The Cowgirls return to action tomorrow (Dec. 13) when they battle Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado. Game time is 5:30 p.m.