LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Finishing with three straight home games to end the season, the New Mexico Highlands men's and women's basketball teams enters the weekend needing wins to qualify for the 2014 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Basketball Tournaments. The Cowboys and Cowgirls will entertain Colorado School of Mines on Friday (Feb. 21) and Colorado Christian on Saturday (Feb. 22). Both women's games this weekend begins at 6 p.m. with the men's games following approximately 20 minutes after.
Also, the women's basketball team will be wearing pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer research. Fans are encouraged to wear pink both days this weekend.
There are multiple ways you can follow all of the action this weekend. Live stats for each of the games are available by click
here (women's game) and
here (men's games). Live video for every game this weekend is available by clicking
here.
Tournament Watch
The New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team (11-12, 8-11 RMAC) has a slim chance to be as high as the fifth seed as it is 3.5 games behind CSU-Pueblo, who is 11-7 (Fort Lewis is also 11-7 but the Cowboys have lost twice to Fort Lewis already this season). Highlands is currently ninth themselves, however, it is two games behind eighth-place Colorado Mesa. Adams State sits seventh with a 10-8 conference record.
The Cowboys have lost twice this season to Colorado Mesa (sits eighth), split with Adams State (sits seventh) and won the only meeting of the year this far with Colorado Christian (sits sixth, 10-8 record). The Cowboys and Cougars battle Saturday night.
In contrast, while the New Mexico Highlands women's basketball team (11-12, 7-12 RMAC) sits 10th, it is only 1.5 games behind eighth. In fact, eighth through 11th place all are only differentiated by 1.5 games. A Cowgirls sweep could put them right in the thick of the tournament race as it plays ninth place Colorado Mines (8-11 RMAC) and seventh place Colorado Christian (10-9 RMAC). Highlands lost to the Cougars but beat the Orediggers earlier this season.
Scouting the Cowboys
The New Mexico Highlands basketball team (11-12, 8-11 RMAC) faces a crucial weekend when it plays host to second place Colorado School of Mines and sixth place Colorado Christian.
As has been the whole story for this season, the Cowboys throw a potent offense at their opponents but lack on the defensive end. Highlands is 88th in the nation by scoring 80 points per game. However, it is near last in the nation by allowing 85.8 points per game and is 245th in the nation with a negative-5.8 scoring margin.
However, in the home games that is within a single possession with a minute remaining, the Cowboys are outscoring their opponents 23-10, holding them to 2-5 shooting from the field and forcing a pair of turnovers.
Individually, senior
Mannie Cass continues to pace the Cowboys as he is 94th in blocks per game (1.43) and 96th in points per game with 18.0
Lately, it has been fellow senior
Stargell Love who has been turning it on for the Cowboys. Love, who has been a force in both assists (66th in the nation in assists, 4.6 per game) and leads the team with 1.36 steals per game, has cranked up his scoring in recent games. Since his only game of the year where he failed to score, against Metro State Jan. 3, Love has scored a minimum of seven points in the last 12 games. In fact, 8-of-11 double digit scoring games of the season have come in the last 12 games.
Love has double-digit scoring in his last four games with career-bests in his last two games. Love hit 7-of-9 from the field and 7-for-10 from the charity stripe against Colorado Mesa Feb. 14. Against Western State, he was even better with 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting – including hitting both triples attempted. After this past weekend, Love became the fourth Cowboy to average double-digit scoring on the season.
Scouting Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines (20-3, 16-3 RMAC) enters as the 11th-ranked team in the nation.
While the Orediggers won 111-63 back in December over Highlands, they have lost to Adams State, a team the Cowboys have beaten this year.
Colorado School of Mines combines a high-scoring offense with stifling defense, ranking second in the conference in defense and fourth in the conference in offense. Colorado School of Mines is 18th in the nation with 86.5 points per game and is 23rd in the nation by only allowing only 66.3 points per game.
Besides the aforementioned loss to Adams State (best team in the conference in scoring offense), Colorado Mines is 0-2 against Metro State (best defensive team in the RMAC). If Highlands can extend its successes in the final minutes of contests to the entire game, Highlands could give the Orediggers a game.
Trevor Wages is an all-around player for the Orediggers. He is third in the nation in FG percentage (69.4), 14th with 11 double-doubles, 32nd with 9.4 rebounds per game and 55th with 1.83 blocks per game.
The Orediggers put new meaning to the term balanced scoring. Four different players average between 13.4 and 13.7 points per game. Brian Muller leads the team with 13.7 points per game, while Brett Green and Wages add 13.5 points per game. Luke Meisch rounds out the top scoring with 13.4 points per game.
Scouting Colorado Christian
Having not met since the opening game of conference season, Colorado Christian (13-10, 11-8) and Highlands played one of the most exciting games during conference season. Holding a double-digit lead late in regulation, Highlands faltered down the stretch. Both team played two overtimes, with
the Cowboys holding off the Cougars 102-100.
The game between the Cougars and Cowboys most likely will come down to whoever plays defense. Colorado Christian is second in the RMAC and seventh in the nation with 89 points per game. Meanwhile, the Cougars are next to last and 269th in the nation by allowing 84 points per game. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they are last in the conference in scoring defense. The Cougars also like to shoot the three-pointer, as it is seventh in the nation with more than 10 a game.
Kyle Weaver leads the Cougars and is 58th in the nation with 19.2 points per game. He also adds 2.52 three-pointers per game. The Cowboys cannot foul him, as Weaver is third in the country with 178 free throws made and 11th in the nation by making 89.9 percent of his free throws.
Going Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness
It will be a special weekend for the New Mexico Highlands women's basketball team when it welcomes in both Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian. The gym will be decorated in pink garb all weekend with the Cowgirls wearing pink uniforms all weekend. During halftime of Saturday's game against the Cougars, a special presentation will be made.
Fans are encouraged to wear pink all weekend to help the Cowgirls raise awareness for a worthy cause!
Firepower off the Bench
Having failed to reach double-digit scoring in the four games prior to Feb. 15 – including no points against Fort Lewis – junior
Jenny Johnson provided a huge lift in a 67-53 win at Western State. Johnson had a career best 25 points, including a 4-8 shooting mark from beyond the arc, to help keep the Cowboys alive in their race for an RMAC tournament berth.
Scouting Colorado Mines
Colorado School of Mines (9-14, 8-11 RMAC) and the New Mexico Highlands women's basketball team take part in a de facto elimination game Friday night. A Cowgirls' win means the two teams are tied in record but Highlands would hold the tiebreaker since these also
beat the Orediggers in December, 65-59.
The Orediggers actually average giving up more points than they score. Ranking 244th in the nation by scoring 62 points per game, they counter by only allowing 63.7 points per game (67th in the nation). If the Cowgirls can play solid defense like it did against Adams State (38 points Feb. 7) and against Western State (53 points, Feb. 15), Highlands might pull off the season sweep.
The Orediggers are not very high-scoring; however, Allie Grazulis became the third player in the conference to average a double-double on the season this past weekend. She leads the team with 10.1 rebounds per game while she is second with 11.5 points per game. Senior
China Smith for Highlands also averages a double-double with 11.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
Scouting Colorado Christian
New Mexico Highlands will be looking for revenge for its first loss of the season when it hosts Colorado Christian (12-11, 10-9 RMAC).
The Cougars knocked off the Cowgirls 95-65 back in December.
The Cowgirls will have to watch their back pockets as the Cougars are ninth in the nation with more than 12 steals per game. However, the Cowgirls may be able to get a few thefts of their own as Colorado Christian is in the bottom third in the nation with more than 18 miscues a ballgame.
Five different Cougars average double-digit scoring. Leading the way is Jessica Murdoch with 14.3 points per game while Kayla Fakelman adds 13.0 points per game. Both average 5.0 points per game. Christina Whitelow paces the Cougars with 11.5 points and a team-leading 6.9 rebounds per game.
Next Up
The New Mexico Highlands women's and men's basketball teams wrap up the regular season next Saturday (March 1) when they host Land of Enchantment-rival Western New Mexico. The women's game is scheduled for 3 p.m. while the men's game follows approximately 20 minutes after.
