7th-seeded Cowboys upend No. 2 Dixie State in RMAC Tourney opener

ST. GEORGE, Utah --- The Cowboys aren't ready to go home just yet.
 
The seventh-seeded New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team led for the final 30 minutes of the contest – building a lead as large as 17 points – and held on to upset No. 2 Dixie State 86-82 on Tuesday night at Burns Arena in the opening round of the RMAC Tournament.
 
The Cowboys (20-9) travel to Golden, Colorado, where they will take on No. 3 Regis in the RMAC Tournament semifinals 8 p.m. Friday at Colorado School of Mines.
 
As for Tuesday night in snapping the Trailblazers' 13-game winning streak, the Cowboys trailed 17-12 with 11:13 remaining in the first half before a Gerad Davis 3-pointer ignited a 12-0 run for the Cowboys capped by a Nnamdi Okoro layup with 7:13 remaining to make it 24-17 NMHU. The Cowboys wouldn't trail again.
 
The lead grew to double figures after Raquan Mitchell found DJ Bustos for a 3-pointer with 5:27 remaining to make it 32-20 as the Cowboys took a 41-29 lead into the half.
 
NMHU kept adding to the lead early in the second half as a 3-pointer by Adrian LaFleur and a three-point play by Raquan Mitchell gave the Cowboys a 59-42 lead over Dixie State (18-9) with 11:57 remaining in the contest.
 
But Dixie State chipped away at the lead as a 10-0 run cut the Cowboys' lead to 59-52 with 9:31 remaining in the contest. The Trailblazers cut the lead to three at 64-61 with 7:23 remaining – but like the Cowboys did the rest of the contest, they fought off Dixie State and wouldn't let the Trailblazers get any closer.
 
NMHU led 66-63 when Desmond Carpenter hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down to ignite a 10-3 run to push the Cowboy lead back to double figures at 76-66 with 4:11 remaining. Dixie State cut to as little as four, but NMHU held on for the win.
 
Mitchell led the Cowboys with 25 points to go along with five assists, five rebounds and two steals. Davis had 15 points and five rebounds, LaFleur had 14 points while Jordan Jones finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three steals. Okoro had eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals before fouling out.
 
The Cowboys forced 21 Dixie State turnovers while committing 13 – but the big factor was after being outrebounded by 30 in the teams' first meeting (a Trailblazer win), NMHU was only outrebounded 46-34.
 
NOTES: The win gives the Cowboys 20 on the season, the first time since 2009-10 the program has reached that mark and just the third time since 1974-75.