Box Score LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Trailing by 11 late in the contest, the Cowboys went on a 10-2 run to pull within one possession. However, the Orediggers made 8-10 from the free throw line down the stretch as the New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team (11-13, 8-12 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fell to #11 Colorado School of Mines (21-3, 17-3 RMAC) 77-69 Friday night (Feb. 21).
An old-fashioned three-point play by the Orediggers Trevor Ritchie gave the visitors a 65-54 lead, their largest of the game, with 6:12 left in the game. The Cowboys held Colorado Mines to 0 field goals in more than five minutes to pull within two. Junior
Terrance Lafayette started with a pair of free throws before the Orediggers split from the line to push the deficit back to 10. Senior
Stuart Sullivan answered with a triple before Colorado Mines split from the line again.
Trailing by eight, Lafayette hit another fast break three-pointer for the Cowboys. After a missed shot by the visitors, senior
Mannie Cass hit a layup to bring Highlands within 67-64 with 2:34 left, the first time the game was within a single possession since 7:32 left in the first half. The Orediggers went 3-4 from the line before senior
Lavell McDade and Cass hit a pair from the line to cut the deficit to 71-69 with 1:20 left.
After a timeout by both teams, Colorado Mines' Brett Green hit a jumper to push the deficit back to four. Luke Meisch closed the game by hitting four shots from the charity stripe for the final eight-point margin.
Five different Cowboys scored double-digits for the game, led by Sullivan's 17 points – including a 5-8 mark from behind the arc. McDade had 15, Cass added 12 and Lafayette came off the bench for 11. Senior
Jeverik Nelson added 10.
Colorado Mines hit the first shot of the game 1:39 into the contest, but Nelson answered with a triple to give the Cowboys a 3-2 lead. Highlands led only 24 seconds the entire game.
With the Orediggers leading 25-24, they scored seven unanswered to push the deficit to eight, Trevor Ritchie hit a layup with 7:38 left in the first half. Both teams went two minutes without scoring until Gokul Natesan hit a jumper and a triple. Highlands cut it to five shortly before half, Brian Muller hit a three-pointer and Natesan ended the half with a fast break layup to push the deficit to double-digits at the break.
Like Highlands, five Orediggers reached double-digit scoring. Off the bench, Natesan scored a team-leading 16 points while Muller added 14. Meisch added 10 points and a team-leading nine boards.
Colorado School of Mines outrebounded Highlands 39-22 in the game.
The New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team returns to action tomorrow when it faces Colorado Christian Saturday (Feb. 22) at 8 p.m.
