Box Score LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Cowboys battled back from a six-point deficit with two minutes to take a one-point lead, but the New Mexico Highlands basketball team (11-15, 8-14 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) ended its 2013-2014 season with a loss to rival Western New Mexico (2-23, 2-20) Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, N.M.
Tied for the 12th time in the game at 75 with 3:22 remaining in the game, Terrez Scott and Chad Arechiga hit back-to-back triples to put the visitors up six with two minutes left in the game. Scott finished the game with a Mustangs-high 23 points on 10-13 shooting from the field, but that was his only three of the game.
Needing a basket, senior
Lavell McDade delivered. He drove to the basket and got the hoop and harm to cut the deficit to three. With exactly a minute remaining, senior
Dominick Baca nailed a triple for his career-best ninth triple and 27th point. Baca finished the game 7-12 from beyond the arc.
After the Mustangs missed on its ensuing possession, senior
Stargell Love was fouled with 16 seconds left. After missing the first, he sank the second as the Cowboys held a slim 82-81 lead. However, Scott answered for Western new Mexico when he hit an elbow jumper from the right side with two seconds left. A heave down the court found senior
Mannie Cass at the top of the key, but his triple hit off the rim as the Mustangs claimed the win.
New Mexico Highlands hit a season-best 19 treys in 40 attempts (47.5 percent) for the game for 57-of-its 82 points (69.5 percent).
Down 20-19 in the first half, the Cowboys got the three-pointer going to score eight unanswered and take their largest lead of the game. McDade – who finished with 12 points – started the spurt with a trey. After a stop, McDade missed another triple; however, the ball fell right to senior
Stuart Sullivan, who got the tip-in. Sullivan then nailed a triple to put the Cowboys up 27-20.
Sullivan scored 26 for the game, hitting 9-15 shots from the field (6-11 from beyond the arc).
