Las Vegas, New Mexico - As has become the norm of late, a balanced scoring attack and a stingy defensive effort propelled the Cowboys to their third straight win Saturday afternoon, an 82-76 victory over CSU Pueblo in the Wilson Complex. With the win, New Mexico Highlands improved to 8-13 overall and 6–4 in RMAC play, while the ThunderWolves slipped to 13-5 overall and 7-3 in conference action.
The Cowboys were sharp on the offensive end, shooting 57.4 percent (27-of-47) from the field and posting their best free-throw performance of the season at 82.8 percent (24-of-29).
On the defensive end, New Mexico Highlands continued its recent run of stingy play, holding CSU Pueblo to 47.1 percent shooting - the fifth straight opponent held under 50.0 percent. The Cowboys forced 13 turnovers, had four blocks, and six steals.
After trailing 43-39 at halftime, the Cowboys took the lead for good when
Ibrahima Sacko completed a three-point play with a free throw to give New Mexico Highlands a 52-51 advantage at the 12:53 mark of the second half.
That lead ballooned to 11 points just two-and-a-half minutes later. The Cowboys withstood a late push by the ThunderWolves and sealed the victory by going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 13 seconds.
Five Cowboys scored in double figures, led by
Dontae Walker's 21 points.
Marcus Pierce followed with 17,
Caileb Parham added 14,
Ibrahima Sacko finished with 11, and
BJ Comer chipped in 10.
The home stand continues Thursday night when MSU Denver comes to historic Las Vegas for a 7:00 p.m. tip off.
