LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Cougars shot better than 50 percent in the first half to build a nine-point edge at break and pushed it to double-digits in the second as New Mexico Highlands men's basketball (0-4, 0-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fell to Colorado Christian (4-3, 1-0 RMAC) 77-66 Friday night (Dec. 5) at the Wilson Complex.
Junior
Kendrick Nichols led all scorers with 26 points in the game, including shooting 7-for-14 from beyond the arc. He must have gotten some shooting tips from
Patrick Carney, who became the second Carney to win the JC's $10,000 challenge, this time in basketball. He made a lay-up, free throw, three-pointer and his lone halfcourt shot to win the grand prize.
Junior
Erick Vega came off the bench for 10 points while classmate
Jonathon Mines chipped in 10. Highlands did manage to outrebound the Cougars 38-35, but Colorado Christian countered by making 13-of-25 shots in the first half (52 percent) en route to 45.3 percent (24-52) shooting mark for the game. Meanwhile, Highlands was held to only 35.8 percent (24-67) for the contest.
Both teams could not find their shooting legs at all as in the first three minutes as they went a combined 3-8 shooting by the 17:00 mark. Mines answered with a bucket and then a three-pointer to give the Cowboys its lone lead of the game at 5-4.
However, nine unanswered by the Cougars in the middle of the first half put the game near double-digits, a place Colorado Christian spent most of the game. Tyler Shields started the spurt with a triple before Joey Trinkle hit a pair from the line. Zack McLemore pushed the visitors' lead to near-double digits against Coach Snows.
Michael Brown led the visitors with 18 points, followed by 16 from Andrew Squires. Joey Trinkle had 11 thanks in part to a 7-of-9 effort from the field.
In the middle of the second half trailing by 11,Vega added a pair of layups to cut the deficit to single digits. With the visitors clinging to a seven point lead with 7:25 left, Isaiah Hanson hit a triple and Squires and Trinknle added layups to put the game back to a double digit advantage for the Cougars.
Nichols capped his shooting night with 34 seconds left with a fastbreak three to cut the deficit to nine, but Trinkle answered right back with a fastbreak dunk for the final 77-66 margin.
The Cowboys return to a'ction tomorrow against Colorado School of Mines. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. HiH
