Cowboys look to stay in RMAC title hunt, travel to play BHSU, SD Mines

LAS VEGAS, N.M. --- The New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team looks to stay in the hunt for the RMAC title as the Cowboys travel to take on Black Hills State 7:30 p.m. Friday and South Dakota Mines 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Cowboys - ranked No. 9 in the South Central Region - sit at 8-3 in the RMAC, tied for third place with Regis. NMHU is a game behind UC Colorado Springs (9-2) for second place and three games back of Colorado School of Mines (11-0) - teams they will play twice each before the end of the season.

THE COWBOYS COMING INTO THIS WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Cowboys come off of splitting a pair of games on the road last week, falling to Chadron State 80-69 on Friday before bouncing back and coming away with a double overtime win at MSU Denver 83-81 on Saturday. In Saturday's win, the Cowboys overcame shooting struggles to battle back from a 12-point, second-half deficit and a six-point, double-overtime deficit to rally and beat the Roadrunners.

NMHU has two of the top three scorers in the league in Raquan Mitchell (20.5) and Gerad Davis (20.4) with Mitchell leading the conference in 3-pointers per game (3.4). Mitchell is shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range (second in the RMAC) while also averaging 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals (fifth in RMAC). Davis is averaging 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 steals (second in RMAC). Jordan Jones is averaging 13.4 points while Nnamdi Okoro is at 11.1 points per game while leading the RMAC in rebounding at 8.2 per game and second in blocked shots at 1.5 per contest.

The Cowboys continue to be one of the best teams in the nation in turnover margin with NMHU committing 11.8 per game (second in the RMAC, 53rd in the nation) while forcing 18.5 per game (first in the RMAC, 14th in the nation) for a turnover margin of 6.7 - third in the country. NMHU is first in the RMAC and 15th in the NCAA in scoring (88.1) while the Cowboys are also first in the conference and 18th in the nation in steals per game (9.6).

ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE | SEASON STATS
The Yellow Jackets come into the weekend having dropped their last five games, including losing both games on the road last weekend at UC Colorado Springs 73-72 on Friday and at Colorado School of Mines 78-67 on Saturday. In those five losses, however, three of them were by four points or less.

Fraser Malcolm leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range. Tyler Oliver is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per contest while leading the team in rebounding (6.0), assists (2.8) and steals (0.7). Dez Stoudamire is third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game.

As a team, the Yellow Jackets are averaging 71.9 points per game (13th in the RMAC) while allowing 72.1 (fourth in the RMAC). BHSU is also tops in the conference in free throw shooting (75.5 percent).

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES | SEASON STATS
The Hardrockers dropped both games last weekend on the road, falling at Colorado School of Mines 93-71 on Friday and at UC Colorado Springs 79-78 on Saturday.

Allec Williams (12.6), Mitchell Sueker (12.4) and Logan Elers (11.8) lead the team in scoring while Damani hayes leads the team in rebounding (5.8) while averaging 9.1 points per game. Williams leads the team at 3.9 assists while Troy Brady leads the team in steals (1.4) to go along with 9.2 points per contest.

As a team, South Dakota Mines is last in the conference in scoring at 67.4 points per game, but is third in points allowed per game at 70.7 points per contest.