Cowboys face Regis in their first RMAC Tourney semifinal since 2010

GOLDEN, Colo. --- The New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team is making its first appearance in the RMAC Tournament semifinals since 2010 as the seventh-seeded Cowboys take on No. 3 Regis 8 p.m. Friday at Lockridge Arena in Golden, Colorado.

The last time NMHU made it this far was when the 2009-10 team made it to the RMAC title game before falling to MSU Denver in the finals (that's also the last team to win 20 games in a season and make it to the NCAA Tournament).

HOW THE COWBOYS GOT TO THE SEMIFINALS
NMHU went on the road to take on No. 2 Dixie State and ended the Trailblazers' 13-game win streak (a streak that saw them win by 12 points per game) with an 86-82 victory on Tuesday. It was a strong performance by the Cowboys as they led for the final 30 minutes of the contest, led by as much as 17 points and held on as Dixie State made several runs at NMHU.

The Cowboys became the sixth No. 7 seed to advance in the RMAC Tournament in the event's history - which started in 1993. A No. 8 seed has never won an opening-round RMAC Tournament game. Only one of those No. 7 seeds advanced to the championship game (Colorado Mesa in 2012, where they lost to No. 1 Colorado School of Mines).

Raquan Mitchell - named All-RMAC First Team earlier this week - led the Cowboys with 25 points to go along with five assists, five rebounds and two steals. Gerad Davis - also named All-RMAC First Team - had 15 points and five rebounds, Adrian LaFleur came off the bench for 14 points, Jordan Jones - named All-RMAC honorable mention - had 12 points, five rebounds and three steals and Nnamdi Okoro - also named All-RMAC honorable mention - had eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals despite battling foul trouble.

Again the Cowboys' press did its job - forcing 21 Dixie State turnovers. But a big factor was NMHU's ability to do a better job of keeping the Trailblazers off the glass compared to the first meeting as the Cowboys were outrebounded by only 12 after being outrebounded by 30 in the first meeting (a Cowboy loss).

HOW THE RANGERS GOT TO THE SEMIFINALS
Regis hosted sixth-seeded UC Colorado Springs on Tuesday in the opening round of the RMAC Tournament and edged out an 80-78 victory. The Rangers led 77-70 with two minutes remaining before a pair of 3-pointers by UCCS over the next minute cut the lead to one with 56 seconds remaining. But Regis hit three of four free throws down the stretch to seal the game.

Jarrett Brodbeck led Regis with 22 points - going 5-for-12 from beyond the arc. Christian Little had 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals while Toni Rocak came off the bench and had 16 points. The Rangers shot 50 percent from the field and came up big at the free throw line, going 16-for-18. UCCS shot the ball well as well - shooting 50 percent from the field (including going 10-for-23 from 3-point range) while going 18-for-21 from the line.

PREVIOUS MEETING
The Cowboys led for 19 minutes of the second half in their only meeting against Regis on Jan. 4 in Denver, but the Rangers scored the final six points of the game - taking the lead with 23 seconds left - to beat NMHU 93-90.

Mitchell exploded for the Cowboys with a career-high 40 points, going 12-for-21 from the field, 8-for-14 from 3-point range and 8-for-9 from the line to go along with three assists. Jones had 15 points while Davis battled foul trouble and had 11 points. As a team the Cowboys drained 14 3-pointers.

Brodbeck led the Rangers with 21 points and nine rebounds to lead five Regis players in double figures. The Rangers shot 52.6 percent from the field, including 11-for-26 from 3-point range (42.3 percent).

NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS RMAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Tournament started in 1993
Overall Tournament Record: 4-11
2019 -    #7 NMHU 86, #2 Dixie State 82
2016 -    #3 Colorado Mesa 95, #6 NMHU 77
2013 -    #2 Adams State 91, #7 NMHU 74
2011 -    #4 Adams State 106, #5 NMHU 98
2010 -    NMHU 90, Fort Lewis 80
              NMHU 96, Colorado Christian 64
              MSU Denver 83, NMHU 79 (RMAC Championship)
2009 -    #7 Colorado Christian 86, #2 NMHU 83 (in Las Vegas, N.M.)
2006 -    #1 Fort Hays State 73, #8 NMHU 69
2005 -    #1 Nebraska Kearney 93, #8 NMHU 89
2000 -    #2 Colorado Mesa 91, #7 NMHU 71
1995 -    #3 Fort Hays State 102, #6 NMHU 78
1994 -    #5 NMHU 71, #4 Western State 69
              #1 Colorado Mesa 97, #5 NMHU 71
1993 -    #2 Colorado Mesa 68, #7 NMHU 62