Golden, Colorado - A last second basket by the Colorado School of Mines dealt the Cowboys a bitter 81-80 setback at Lockridge Arena on Saturday afternoon. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 1-8 overall and 1-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play while the Orediggers improved to 4-6 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
Saturday's game featured 13 lead changes including three in the final 2:42 of the contest. The Cowboys took the lead 75-74 when
Marcus Pierce made a pair of free throws. That lead was extended to four when, after a defensive stop,
BJ Comer drained a three pointer.
With the Cowboys clinging to an 80-79 lead, the Orediggers converted on a driving layup to reclaim the lead at 81-80 with just three seconds to go in the game.
Robert Dix cleaned up a missed free throw but the Cowboys desperation shot fell short giving the hosts the victory.
The Cowboys turned in their best shooting performance of the season, finishing at 50% from the field (30-for-60). They were equally sharp from long range, posting a season-best 54.6% mark from three-point distance (6-for-11), highlighted by
Caileb Parham's 3-for-4 effort from beyond the arc.
Five Cowboys were in double figures led by
Marcus Pierce with 16 points.
Nikk Williams posted his second double-double of the season as he scored 12 points and grabbed a game high 14 rebounds. He also had a pair of blocks and a steal in the game.
Also in double figures were
Caileb Parham (12 points),
Dontae Walker (11 points), and
BJ Comer (10 points).
NMHU out rebounded the Orediggers 39-24.
The Cowboys play their ninth game of the season away from historic Las Vegas on Tuesday night as they travel to Durango for a meeting with Fort Lewis. Tip-off is at 7:30 pm.
