LAS VEGAS, N.M. --- It's another key weekend for the New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team as the Cowboys host South Dakota Mines on Friday and Black Hills State on Saturday at Wilson Complex.

The Cowboys are tied with Black Hills State for third place in the RMAC while South Dakota Mines sits just a game out of the playoff race at 7-8 with seven games to go - and there eight teams between third place at 10-5 and ninth place at 7-9 (there also two teams at 6-9 just two games out). The top eight teams make the RMAC Tournament with the top four hosting in the opening round - and the top seed still alive hosting the semifinals and finals. Colorado School of Mines leads the conference at 15-0 while Regis is in second at 12-3.

THE COWBOYS COMING INTO THIS WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Cowboys, ranked 10th in the latest regional poll, split a pair of home games last week, defeating UC Colorado Springs 119-86 on Friday.before falling at the end to 16th-ranked Colorado School of Mines 81-78 on Saturday. In the win over UCCS, the Cowboys drained a season-best 20 3-pointers while tying a season-high in points. Jordan Jones led six Cowboys in double figures with 29 points. In the loss to the Orediggers - a team that has won 17 straight - NMHU led by as much as 17 points in the first half and led for more than 30 minutes of the contest, but Mines took a seven-point lead with less than three minutes remaining before the Cowboys stormed back to take a 76-75 lead with 1:35 remaining. The teams traded baskets from there before the Orediggers drained a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left and the Cowboys were unable to answer. 

It was just two weeks ago the Cowboys played South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State on the road with NMHU falling to the Yellow Jackets 81-70 (a game the Cowboys led by 18 points at one point in the first half) and beating the Hardrockers 73-70 (Gerad Davis led NMHU with 21 points).

The Cowboys continue to lead the conference in scoring at 87.5 points per game (18th in the nation) as well as turnover margin at +6.57 (second in the nation). Davis (20.0) and Raquan Mitchell (19.1) are second and third in the RMAC in scoring with Mitchell leading the conference and 14th in the country in 3-pointers made per game at 3.3. Nnamdi Okoro continues to lead the conference in rebounding at 7.9 boards per contest.

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES | SEASON STATS
The Hardrockers swept a pair of home games last weekend, edging MSU Denver 70-67 on Friday thanks to 22 points from Mitchell Sueker and beating Chadron State 80-59 on Saturday while getting 32 points from Sueker (he was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week).

South Dakota Mines has been paced by their defense as they're second in the RMAC in points allowed per game at 69.7 and third in field goal percentage defense at 43.3 percent.

After his big week, Sueker increased his scoring average to a team-beat 13.7 points per game while also averaging 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Allec Williams is second in scoring (13.0) while leading the team at 3.7 assists per contest. Logan Elers is at 11.8 points, 6.3 reboudns and 2.3 assists per game.

ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE | SEASON STATS
The Yellow Jackets moved their winning streak to four games (which started with NMHU) after winning a pair of home games against Chadron State (82-62) and MSU Denver (64-62) last weekend. In the win over the Eagles on Friday, Dez Stoudamire led the team with 26 points (4-for-8 from 3-point range) while a free throw each by Fraser Malcolm and Stoudamire (who led the team with 17 points) in the final 30 seconds was the difference against the Roadrunners.

Black Hills State averages 73.6 points (10th in the RMAC) while allowing 71.3 (fourth in the conference). The Yellow Jackets are tops in the conference in free throw percentage (76.1) and are third in the RMAC in 3-pointers per game (9.5).

Malcolm leads BHSU and is eighth in the conference in scoring at 17.1 points per game while he's fourth in field goal percentage at 53.2 percent. He's also averaging 5.5 rebounds per contest. Stoudamire is second on the team in scoring (12.2) while Tyler Oliver is third (10.6) and leads the team in rebounding (5.8) and assists (3.1).