LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Who cares if they trailed the Yellow Jackets for nearly 34 minutes of the game? The Cowboys led when it mattered on the clock: 0:00.
New Mexico Highlands (3-13, 3-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference), who led for only a total of four seconds in the second half, erased a six-point deficit with 1:28 remaining to sting Black Hills State (6-12, 4-7 RMAC) 77-76 Saturday night (Jan. 17) in the second-straight thriller in the John A. Wilson Complex in Las Vegas, N.M.
Down by six, Highlands junior
Kendrick Nichols came down and buried a jumper with 70 seconds left to cut the deficit to four. After a pair of misses from the line for Black Hills State's Brady Bisgaard – who head coach
Craig Snow chose to foul – junior
Jonathon Mines calmly brought the ball down the court, saw a little space and buried a triple to bring Highlands within one. The Cowboys forced a missed layup and freshman
Joe Anaya grabbed the board and was fouled. He split from the line with 15 seconds left to knot the score – the only tie of the game – at 76 with 15 ticks left.
On the ensuing inbounds, Mines knocked the ball away in the hands of sophomore
Ricky Norris. Norris missed the jumper, but grabbed his own miss and was fouled with four seconds left. Norris missed the first, but drained the second to give Highlands its first lead since 11-10 with 14:45 remaining in the first half. Black Hills State Wyatt Krogman drove the lane and pulled up for a jumper, but the ball hit absolutely nothing as New Mexico Highlands pulled out its second heart stopper in as many nights.
The Cowboys used a 46-33 edge on the glass to overcome a double digit second half deficit. Norris recorded his second double-double in as many nights with a season-best 18 points and 10 boards. Mines chipped in 15 points and Anaya came off the bench for 12 points and seven boards.
Black Hills State was led by Krogmen's 16 points. Nick Ongarto added 14 points while Brody Brisk added 10.
The Cowboys began the night with a hot start, scoring the first eight points of the game. Nichols buried a three just 14 seconds into the game. After a Highlands stop, junior
Kaylen Shane hit a layup on a dime from Mines. After another stop, Mines came down and buried a triple to put the Cowboys up 8-0 just a minute into the game.
Up 11-4 with 16:01 left in the first half, the Cowboys went nearly eight minutes without scoring as Black Hills State scored 17 unanswered. Yoshio Allen drained a triple. After a split from the line, Brisk hit a layup whole Ongarto hit the fastbreak hoop to give the visitors its first lead of the ballgame. Both teams failed to score the next two minutes of the game until Krogman hit a layup for the Yellow Jackets. A fastbreak triple by Ben Beauchamp and a Brisk jumper pushed the lead to 21-11 with nine minutes until the break.
Highlands cut the deficit to 27-26, but a 7-2 run by the visitors pushed its lead to 34-28 at intermission.
Black Hills State pushed the lead to 10 again early in the second half, and the Cowboys could only get the game within one possession once before the thrilling finish.
The Cowboys return to action next Saturday (Jan. 24) at 4 p.m. against in-state rival Western New Mexico at 4 p.m.
