LAS CRUCES, N.M. – It was an NCAA Division I team coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last season against an NCAA Division II team with a new coach, virtually an entirely new roster, one win in 11 games and an early nine-point deficit.
What could possibly happen from there?
New Mexico Highlands (1-11) rallied to take a lead in the first half and even led by as much as four points in the second half before falling to New Mexico State (8-9) 75-67 Tuesday night (Jan. 6) in Las Cruces.
Trailing 17-8, both teams committed multiple miscues as no one got a shot off for nearly a minute. Sophomore
Ricky Norris – who came off the bench and turned in career bests in both points (17) and rebounds (seven) – got it all started with a layup. The games leading scorer, junior
Kendrick Nichols, answered with a triple to quickly cut the deficit to four with 13 minutes left in the first half.
Highlands fell behind 27-19 later in the stanza before scoring eight straight to knot the game with 6:30 before half. After a blocked shot, Norris grabbed the offensive board and fed junior
Kaylen Shane for the layup. After a defensive stand, junior
Jonathon Mines split from the line. The Aggies turned it over and Mines drained a triple to bring the visitors within a bucket. New Mexico State missed a couple from the charity stripe and Shane knotted the game the same way he started the spurt – with a layup.
Shane added 12 points on 4-6 shooting and a perfect 4-4 mark from the charity stripe.
The Cowboys trailed 33-30, but a triple by Norris tied the game and a Nichols layup gave the visitors its first lead of the game with two minutes until the break. Both teams were deadlocked at 37 at halftime.
Both teams shot well from the field as the Cowboys made 13-26 in the first half, finishing 26-56 (46.4 percent) for the game. The Aggies needed every shot it made in the second half, shooting a blistering 60.9 percent in the stanza and 51.8 percent (29-56) for the game.
A Nichols three put Highlands up 46-42 with 16:22 left in the game before a quick 5-0 spurt put the Aggies back up. With Highlands up 51-50, the Aggies scored six unanswered and took the lead for good. Pascal Siakam, who came off the bench for 14 points, made a layup to put the home team in front. Remi Barry split from the line and completed a three the hard way for the 56-51 lead for the home team.
New Mexico State led by as much as 12 before the final eight point win.
Besides Pascal, DK Eldridge barely missed a double-double with 15 points and nine assists. Barry added a team high 16 points.
New Mexico State started quick by scoring the first seven points of the game, all by Barry with a pair of jumpers around a triple. Two free throws by Shane three minutes in opened the scoring for the Cowboys.
Highlands returns to action Friday (Jan. 9) when it travels to Durango, Colorado, to take on Fort Lewis. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
