Box Score LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Cowgirls and Orediggers played a contest that featured 17 lead changes and 10 ties, but a possible game-tying three fell short at the buzzer as the New Mexico Highlands women's basketball team (11-13, 7-13) fell to Colorado School of Mines (10-14, 9-11) 78-75 Friday night (Feb. 21).
Highlands pounced right from the tip, winning the opening jump as junior
Jenny Johnson hit senior
Alyssa Lopez for a triple just five seconds into the contest. The Orediggers answered with a layup after two offensive rebounds, but senior
China Smith quickly put the home team back up three on a layup from Johnson.
Smith finished the game with her 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 17 rebounds. In fact, Smith had nearly as many rebounds herself (17) as the rest of the team had (22).
After assisting on the Cowgirls first two baskets of the game, Johnson decided to enter the scoring column with a fastbreak triple. The three-point shot helped keep the Cowgirls in the game as they shot 9-27 (33.3 percent) for the game compared to 1-5 (20 percent) for the Orediggers. On the flipside, Colorado School of Mines made 21-24 (87.5 percent) from the charity stripe, compared to 18-31 (58.1 percent) from the line for the Cowgirls.
With Highlands holding an 8-2 lead with 18:40 left in the first half, Mines answered with a 9-2 run to take its first lead of the game two minutes later.
Neither team led by more than two in the next 10 minutes before junior
Trish Simpson split from the line and Smith added a layup to put the home team up 28-25 with six minutes left in the first.
With the Cowgirls up 30-28, the Orediggers scored eight unanswered to open up their own six-point lead. Katie Clements tied the game before Laura Tyree and Grazulis – both of whom scored a team-leading 18 points – added four more points. Tyree capped the run with a jumper. The Orediggers led by as much as eight in the final minute before a Smith layup and a Lopez three cut the deficit at half to three.
The second half saw Colorado Mines hold a two possession lead for most of the stanza, with the visitors holding a 76-70 lead with 1:23 left. Smith made a pair of free throws before each team threw a turnover. Another visitor turnover led to two more from the charity stripe for Smith. Crawford had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds left, but she split from the line as the Orediggers clung to a one-point advantage. Tyree closed the game with a pair from the line before Johnson's game-tying three fell short at the buzzer at the Orediggers held on for the win.
Four of the five Highlands starters reached double-digits. Besides Smith, Lopez led the team with 18 points while Johnson added 13. Simpson finished with 10.
The Cowgirls return to action Saturday (Feb. 22) when they take on Colorado Christian. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.
