Against Colorado Mines
Cowboys jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead against the Colorado School of Mines in the first 3 minutes of the game, but the Orediggers kept it close the entire first half and led at halftime by 2 points (40-38). The Cowboys came out slow from halftime, and only scored 5 points after nearly 8 minutes of play. NMHU struggled to defend the 3 point shot, and fell behind by as much as 16 points with 5:26 remaining in the game.
With 3:27 remaining, Desmond Carpenter grabbed a steal, and assisted Raquan Mitchell as he hit a much needed three pointer that fired up Highlands' offense. Sammy Barnes-Thompkins followed with another three pointer, putting the Cowboys within 8 points with 3:20 left in the game. Jalen Munn hit 1 out of 2 free throws off of a flagrant foul committed by Mines, cutting the lead to 7 points with 2:50 remaining. Both Highlands and Colorado Mines went scoreless for just over a minute before the Cowboys started fouling to stop the clock, with the Orediggers in the bonus. Highlands got within 3 points with 30 seconds remaining, but their 43% shooting night wasn't enough to get them the win.
Highlands forced 21 Colorado Mines turnovers, and converted them into 22 points. NMHU ended the game shooting 43% from the field, and 37% from behind the three point line. Colorado Mines and Highlands were nearly identical with their bench points (Highlands: 20, Mines: 23), and despite outscoring Mines in the paint by 24 points, the Cowboys weren't able to pull off the win with a final score of 86-93.
Raquan Mitchell led all scorers with 29 points, off of 10-24 shooting, and also dished out 6 assists. Sammy Barnes-Thompkins ended up with 15 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Desmond Carpenter had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Against UCCS
The Cowboys came out ready to compete on Saturday night's matchup against the UCCS Mountain Lions. Neither team led by more than 9 points for most of the contest, until Highlands made critical free throws in the last 5 minutes of the game. Highlands played with poised energy on both sides of the floor throughout the high paced RMAC contest.
NMHU made UCCS pay for each turnover they committed, as they scored 20 points off of their 15 turnovers. With 12 minutes left in the game, NMHU took off their press to focus on their half court defense. The Cowboys struggled to defend UCCS' offensive threat, Padiet Wang, as he went off for 28 points, and went 11-16 from the field.
Highlands had a balanced effort in the win, with Sammy-Barnes-Thompkins ending the night racking up 34 points, going 11-18 from the field, and adding 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Mitchell finished with 30 points, off of shooting 10-16 from the field, and added 5 assists. Darius Harrison had a solid game, going 7-8 from the free throw line. Harrison ended up scoring 14 points, and grabbed 7 rebounds & 2 steals. DJ Bustos and Desmond Carpenter each added 7 points as well. The Cowboys head to Metropolitan State University-Denver, and Chadron State College next weekend. Highlands is currently sitting in 8th place after this weekend, and will be fighting for each road game to secure a spot in the RMAC tournament.
