Las Vegas, New Mexico - New Mexico Highlands are on the road again this weekend to open conference play.

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: 

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:
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Cowgirls traveled to Canyon, Texas, to play in the West Texas Thanksgiving Classic

The Cowgirls played their first game of the West Texas Thanksgiving Classic at Noon today, and a late fourth-quarter surge helped UTPB pass the Cowgirls.

There were 13 lead changes in the contest, and the game was tied nine times.  The bench had 23 points for the Cowgirls in today's action. However, the Cowgirls were outrebounded, and turnovers also put them in a bind.

The second game of the weekend had the Cowgirls meet host West Texas A&M.

The Anitielu sisters led the Cowgirls in scoring, Kapiolani Anitielu had 14, and Kamalani Anitielu had 12 in the loss.

The Cowgirls were set for battle with the 13th-ranked Lady Buffaloes. Entering the half, the Cowgirls trailed by seven, but in the third quarter, West Texas A&M outscored the Cowgirls 20-8, and that would help them pull away.

The Cowgirls' bench stepped up once again today, scoring 36 of the Cowgirls' 57 points.
 

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:

The Cowgirls will open RMAC play in Northwest Denver against the Regis Rangers (Thursday, 5:30 PM). Entering the weekend at 0-3. The Rangers last time out faced Rogers State and fell in that one. Jason Kohler was named the sixth head coach in Regis University women's basketball history after an impressive three-year rise through the program's ranks. Kohler, who previously served as a graduate assistant and assistant coach for the Rangers, has played an instrumental role in one of the program's most successful stretches.

 

The Cowgirls' second game will be against the Orediggers of Colorado School of Mines. The Orediggers come into the weekend at 2-5 with three losses to teams in the top 25. Two of which sat in the top 10. The Orediggers will face Adams State on Thursday, then the Cowgirls on Saturday (1 PM). Brittany Simpson became the winningest coach in the history of Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball at the start of her ninth season on Dec. 4, 2020, in a 68-53 win over South Dakota Mines inside Lockridge Arena. The 2024-25 season marked Coach Simpson's 13th season as the head coach for the Orediggers. Over the past 13 campaigns, Simpson has won over 200 games (231-139).

 

Lessons Learned: 

Coach Lindsey Fearing on what her team learned from last weekend's games:

"I think our team learned that we can't wait and have to be ready to play. We have to take care of the ball because good teams will capitalize on every mistake. It was a good growing moment, and I'm hopeful we will continue to grow into this week. "
 

ON THE AIR: The matchups will be broadcast on the RMAC Network.
 

UP NEXT: The Cowgirls will then open RMAC play in Durango to face Fort Lewis on Tuesday, December 9th, before playing their conference home opener against Adams State on December 11th.

GET YOUR TICKETS: Season tickets for NMHU basketball are on sale now and can be purchased online at NMHUAthletics.com/Tickets.