GRAND JUNCTION and
GUNNISON, Colo. – The New Mexico Highlands men's and women's basketball teams return to action this weekend with games at Colorado Mesa Friday (Feb. 14) and at Western State (Feb. 15).
Cannot attend? There are multiple ways you can follow all the action. Live Stats for the games can be found
here (women) and
here (men) against Colorado Mesa and
here (women) and
here (men) against Western State. Live Video is available by clicking
here (Colorado Mesa) and
here (Western State).
Scouting Men's Basketball
The Cowboys enter the weekend 10-11 overall and 7-10 in Rocky Mountain play, looking to snap a four-game slide. While Highlands sits on the outside looking in for the RMAC Tournament, a win Friday guarantees them a tie for the final spot as Colorado Mesa, there opponent Friday night, is sitting a game better than the Cowboys.
The inside defense, particularly in rejections, continues to be strong for the Cowboys. New Mexico Highlands is 18th in the nation with 5.0 blocks per game. However, the Cowboys are near last in the nation with an average of being out-rebounded by nearly seven boards a game. The key is rebounding the ball as Highlands is 5-0 on the season when outrebounding its opponents, four of which have been double-digit wins.
Senior
Mannie Cass is 87th in the nation in scoring (18.4 points per game) while 100th in the nation in blocked shots per game (1.43).
Scouting Colorado Mesa
Colorado Mesa (10-11, 8-9 RMAC) looks to solidify its position in the RMAC Tournament when it faces the Cowboys Friday night (Feb. 14). The Mavericks won 82-61 on Dec. 14, 2013 in Las Vegas. However, Highlands was coming off a double overtime win over Western State.
To read more about that game in December, click
here.
In the game, Highland's defense will be tested as the Mavericks are third in the RMAC and 34th in the nation with a 49.0 field goal percentage. However, the Cowboys turned its defense around as they were 10th in the conference in field goal percentage defense before the first meeting but are now sixth in the RMAC by allowing a 46.0 shooting percentage (a 1.5 percent decrease). In turnovers, Highlands is sixth in the conference with just 0.2 less turnovers than its opponents. Conversely, the Mavericks are last with three more turnovers per game than their opponents.
Individually, Joe Kiely is second in the conference and is 54th in the nation with a 2.37 assist-turnover ratio. However, that number is down nearly two assists to turnovers since the teams' first meeting of the season.
Scouting Western State
Very few words can do justice to the first meeting of these two teams in December. In the final 3:30 of regulation, the game was played within a four-point margin. With the Cowboys trailing by three with 1.3 seconds left in regulation, Highlands threw the ball in-bounds from underneath its basket to the top of the arc. The pass was shoveled off to senior
Mannie Cass on the left wing, who drained the three to send the game to overtime. His contested jumper in the lane with one second left sent the game into the second overtime.
Cass, who scored a career-best 41 points, won the game on a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left in the second overtime.
To read more about that instant classic, click
here.
Western State (2-19, 2-15 RMAC) is already mathematically eliminated from the conference tournament, but it is looking to play spoilers. Of the 305 teams who play NCAA Division II basketball, the Mountaineers rank 290th with a scoring margin of negative 18.5 points.
Individually, Jordan is ninth in the conference and 167th in the nation with 16.7 points per game.
Scouting Women's Basketball
Like men's basketball, the Highlands women's basketball team (10-11, 6-11 RMAC) looks to keep pace for a spot in the conference tournament. Unlike men's basketball where two teams have been eliminated from postseason competition, all 14 teams in RMAC women's basketball are still alive.
Senior
China Smith continues to lead the way for Highlands, being one of only two players in the conference averaging a double-double (12.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game). She leads the conference and is 15th in the nation in boards per game and is second in the RMAC and 18th in the nation with 10 double-doubles.
The Cowgirls are 72nd in the nation with 6.1 three-pointers made per game.
Scouting Colorado Mesa
The Mavericks are 21-0 and 17-0 in the RMAC. The first time these two teams met, Mesa win 81-70, the sixth closest game for the Mavericks on the season. In fact, New Mexico Highlands had a four-point halftime lead and extended that lead to seven in the second half.
To read more on the game, click
here.
The #2-ranked Mavericks are one on only two teams in the nation who have not lost a game. They are strong on offense as they are 34th in the nation (77.5 points per game), but Mesa's defense may be its strength. The Mavericks are sixth in the nation by allowing only 56.9 points per game. The Mavericks are sixth in the nation in six statistical categories, ranking fourth with a 1.37 assist to turnover ratio. The Cowgirls must work the ball inside as Colorado Mesa's weakness is blocked shots (135th in the nation with three rejections per game) and steals per game (181st in the nation with 7.5 thefts per game). The Mavericks also commit 18.7 fouls per game.
Sharaya Selsor leads the conference and is third in the nation with 24.7 points per game.
Scouting Western State
New Mexico Highlands led by as much as 17 in the second half, but a three by Western State (5-17, 5-12 RMAC) with 46 seconds left in the game gave the Mountaineers their only lead of the second half and the 55-53 win on Dec. 13, 2014.
To read more about that game, click
here.
While Western State does not score that much (53.9 points per game, 283rd in the nation) and has a negative 15.5 scoring margin (278th in the nation), the Cowgirls would be wise to keep Mountaineers off the free throw line. Western State is seventh in the RMAC and 91st in the nation with a 72.1 percent mark from the charity stripe. However, that is down four percentage points since the team's first meeting of the season.
Jade McIntosh leads the Mountaineers and is 123rd in the nation and seventh in the RMAC with 15.7 points per game.
Next Up
It will be the penultimate home weekend of the season next week when the Cowboys and Cowgirls welcomes Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian University. Game times each night is 6 p.m. for the women's games and 8 p.m. for the men's games.
