Las Vegas, New Mexico - The Cowgirls will play their final home games against South Dakota Mines, followed by their Senior Day on Saturday against Black Hills State.
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 Standings:Â
Standings as of 2-18-2026
| School |
RMAC Record |
Overall Record |
| Colorado Mesa |
17-0 |
27-1 |
| Adams State |
13-3 |
19-7 |
| Black Hills State |
12-4 |
15-8 |
| UCCS |
11-5 |
15-9 |
| Western Colorado |
11-5 |
13-9 |
| MSU Denver |
10-6 |
12-12 |
| CSU Pueblo |
9-7 |
13-11 |
| Colorado School of Mines |
8-8 |
13-14 |
| Fort Lewis |
7-9 |
14-10 |
| South Dakota Mines |
7-9 |
9-15 |
| New Mexico Highlands |
6-10 |
10-13 |
| Westminster |
5-12 |
8-15 |
| Colorado Christian |
3-13 |
6-18 |
| Regis |
1-15 |
1-18 |
| Chadron State |
1-15 |
1-20 |
LAST TIME OUT:Â
1st Half: Colorado Mesa (CMU) 36- NMHU 26
CMU opened the first half on a 9-0 run until Aniya Johnson made a layup to get the scoring started for the Cowgirls. The first quarter was a time when both teams were on runs. The Cowgirls answered with a run of six, then the Mavericks with a run of nine again, but the Mavericks had a lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Cowgirls outscored CMU in the second quarter, but it was not enough to bring them the lead as they trailed by ten heading into the half.
2nd Half: CMU 72- NMHU 51
The difference in the game was that Colorado Mesa outrebounded the Cowgirls on the offensive boards. However, Aniya Johnson led the Cowgirls with 14 points while Jaelyn Bates added 12 points off the bench. Brynn Hargrove also scored 13 bench points. The Cowgirls also outscored the Mavericks in the fourth, but the Cowgirls only got six points in the third.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
South Dakota Mines:
The Hardrockers will face the Cowgirls first this weekend. The Hardrockers sit one place above the Cowgirls in the conference ranks at 9-15 overall and 7-9 in conference play. Kyley Bachand is in her first full season at the helm in Rapid City. Bachand was named the head coach in April of 2025. comes to Mines from William Jewell College, where she spent the last two seasons as head coach, doubling the team's overall wins and tripling the wins in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). She coached an All-GLVC performer who finished fourth in the league in scoring.Â
Black Hill State:
The Cowgirls will end their home games this season with Senior Day presented by Quality Care on Saturday against Black Hills State, which enters the weekend at 15-8 and 12-4 in conference play, and third in the RMAC standings. Black Hills State is currently under the direction of Kelly Kruger, who was named interim coach on August 4th 2025. A builder of programs, Kruger arrives in Spearfish for what will be his 35th season as a collegiate head coach, where he has amassed more than 500 career wins and has taken a pair of NCAA Division II programs to national tournaments and Sweet 16 appearances.
SENIORS: Â The Cowgirls will be celebrating two seniors this Saturday
One will be Jessie Ford of Malborough, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, and the other will be Hailey Long of Gallup, New Mexico.
UP NEXT: The Cowgirls close out their season on the road against Colorado Christian and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
