Men's Basketball | 1/21/2015 7:05:00 PM
WOMEN's BASKETBALL vs WESTERN NEW MEXICO: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
MEN's BASKETBALL vs WESTERN NEW MEXICO: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Playing a single game this week, the New Mexico Highlands basketball teams welcome in "Land of Enchantment" rival Western New Mexico to Las, Vegas, New Mexico, this Saturday (Jan. 24).
However, all fans should be aware of game times as the women's game will tip off at 2 while the men's game will be at 4 p.m.
Scouting Women's Basketball The New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls (4-12, 3-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) are still searching for its first win of 2015, as they fell to Chadron State and Black Hills State last weekend.
To read more about the Chadron State game, click
here. To read more about the Black Hills State game, click
here. With her second double-digit assist game against the Yellow Jackets, sophomore
Giulia Simioni is third in the RMAC and 48th in the nation with 4.4 assists per game. She is also 127th in the nation with a 1.34 assist-turnover ratio. In fact, Simioni (twice) and Western New Mexico's RaTanya Newsome are the only two players in the conference who had 10 assists in a game this season.
Senior
Anngelina Sanchez continues to lead the team and is 203rd in the nation with 13.9 points per game.
With 16 shots made from beyond the arc this past weekend, the Cowgirls are 43rd in the nation with seven threes a game and are 53rd by making 35.3 percent of their shots from behind the arc.
Scouting Men's Basketball The New Mexico Highlands Cowboys (3-13, 3-9 RMAC) are coming off their first conference weekend sweep since the 2012-13 season when they beat Chadron State Friday and Black Hills State Saturday.
The Cowboys had the flare for dramatics, overcoming a 10-point second half deficit against the Eagles before overcoming a nine-point deficit against Black Hills State.
To read more about the win against Chadron State, click
here. To read more about the win against Black Hills State, click
here. It is not very common for a guard to get double-digit rebounds, but sophomore
Ricky Norris did it twice to be named Subway Student-Athlete of the Week. Norris helped the Cowboys sweep the weekend in with career highs in both rebounds and points to record a pair of double-doubles. On Friday (Jan. 16), in the Cowboys last-second win against Chadron State (98-95), Norris had 15 points and 10 boards.
In Highlands 77-76 win against Black Hills State on Saturday (Jan. 17), Norris had a career best 18 points - including 14 points in the second half - and also grabbed 10 rebounds. His 10th was the most pivotal as he grabbed an offensive board and was fouled. He split from the line with four seconds left as the Cowboys went on to win by one.
The Cowboys have won 5-of-6 in Las Vegas against Western New Mexico; however, its one loss was last year to end a five-game winning streak. Highlands fell in a heartbreaker to the Mustangs, 83-82, on March 1, 2014.
Scouting Western New Mexico Women Western New Mexico (9-7, 6-6 RMAC) will come to the Wilson Complex red hot as it has won three in a row, five of six and are 5-2 in 2015. However, the Mustangs are only 2-2 in the new year on the road.
The Mustangs are not a high-octane offense, but will swarm you with a stellar defense. The Cowgirls seven threes a game will be severely tested as Western New Mexico leads the nation by allowing opponents to shoot only 20 percent from beyond the arc this season. Western New Mexico is also 24th in the nation by only allowing 58 points per game and is 35th in the nation by only throwing about 14.5 turnovers per game.
They also force nearly 20 turnovers per game.
Ashley Mitchell leads the team with 12.8 points per game, but as mentioned above, the Mustangs boast one of the best passers in the nation. RaTanya Newsome leads the conference and is eighth in the nation with 6.1 assists per game.
Scouting Western New Mexico Men It could be quite the battle between the Cowboys and Western New Mexico (2-14, 2-10 RMAC) on Saturday. Both teams are 2-4 in 2015 as both beat Chadron State. The Mustangs knocked off Regis in Denver while the Cowboys beat Black Hills State in Las Vegas for the other wins since the break.
While Western New Mexico is near the bottom of the NCAA in both offense and defense, the Mustangs hold on to the ball really well. The Mustangs are 102nd in the nation in only committing 13 miscues a game. In comparison, the Cowboys commit only 14 miscues per game.
A pair of Mustangs break the double-digit scoring average for the season in Marcos Castrillo (12.4) and Terrez Scott (11.8). Like Newsome, Scott is also one of the best passers in the nation by averaging 4.7 dimes per game.
Next Up Highlands begins the second half of RMAC play on the road at CSU-Pueblo and UC-Colorado Springs next weekend. Both days are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
