Las Vegas, New Mexico - New Mexico Highlands are on the road for a Thanksgiving weekend round robin tournament in Canyon, Texas this weekend.
COACH FEARING:
Coach Fearing enters her second year as the head coach of the Cowgirls. Last season, Coach reached the RMAC Tournament with a 13-13 record before falling to Colorado Mesa in the first round on the road. It was the first time in 20 years that a Cowgirls basketball team had reached the postseason.
RMAC COACHES POLL:Â
New Mexico Highlands women's basketball was picked 8th in the 2025-26 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, released last month. The Cowgirls were 13-14 overall and 10-10 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference last season.
LAST TIME OUT:
Last weekend in Silver City. The Cowgirls captured their first road win of the season against in-state foe Western New Mexico.Â
The Cowgirls scored 92 points in the victory. To complete the sweep of the Mustangs this season, the Cowgirls outscored the Mustangs 198-83 over the two games.
Aniya Johnson led the Cowgirls in scoring with 19.
Kapiolani Anitielu was second in scoring with 14.
The Cowgirls shot 49.3% from the field today and 33.3% from beyond the arc. As well as 75% at the free-throw line.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
The Cowgirls will face UT Permian Basin to open the weekend (Friday, Noon). The Falcons are 2-2 in the young season. Rae Boothe was named as the Head Women's Basketball Coach at UT Permian Basin in August of 2017. She is the fourth women's basketball coach in program history.. Boothe currently has a 245-202 (.548 pct.) record as a head coach, and in eight seasons at UTPB, she has a career record of 86-133.
Saturday, the Cowgirls will play West Texas A&M, the host, in the classic. The Lady Buffs are currently ranked 13th in the nation with a 4-1 record; their only loss thus far is to the #1 team in the nation, Grand Valley State. Josh Prock enters his fifth season at the helm of the Lady Buff Basketball program.
SCORING WELL:
In their three victories this season, the Cowgirls have tallied up 276 points.
Kapiolani Anitielu averages 18 points per game, leading the Cowgirls in scoring. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
When asked about the keys to the offensive success, Coach Fearing said, "to play at our pace, our game, and be us. Being us, we love each other and want everyone to be successful, which means sharing the ball, too. We have 4, almost 5, averaging double figures in scoring with 16.7 assists per game. We want to run and play quickly, but in saying that, move the ball; we want the ball to have energy on the floor."
"For us to continue our success this weekend, we have to continue our defensive tenacity and aggression. Keep teams off the free-throw line. Score off the turnovers we create, while also limiting our turnovers. And again play at our pace, play our game, and just be us." Coaching Fearing said about how her team can have success this weekend.
UP NEXT: The Cowgirls will then open RMAC play in Denver on December 4th against Regis University.
ON THE AIR: The matchup will be broadcast on the Lone Star Network Flo College this weekend.
GET YOUR TICKETS: Season tickets for NMHU basketball are on sale now and can be purchased online at NMHUAthletics.com/Tickets.
