Box Score CHADRON, Neb. – The Western New Mexico men's basketball team opened up a lead as large as 13 midway through the first half, but Chadron State came to life before halftime to cut into the lead on their way to taking a 91-85 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Saturday night.


WNMU (5-11, 5-7 RMAC) broke open an early 2-all tie with a 7-0 run. Brelan Berry (Chandler, AZ/Basha High School) started the flurry with a jumper, which Ryan Crane (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek High School) added to that a three-pointer before Berry finished what he started with another jumper for a 9-2 lead three minutes in.


CSC (4-11, 4-7 RMAC) cut the lead down to six before another WNMU run was about the start.


Chad Carter (Tucson, AZ/Ironwood Ridge High School) began this one with a jumper just outside the paint off an assist by Juan Suarez (Nogales, AZ/Nogales High School) and then TJ Riley (Tyler, TX/Chapel Hill High School) got into the act with a triple for an 11-point lead, 21-10. After the Eagles split a pair from the foul line, Chris Mason (Phoenix, AZ/St. Mary's High School) drilled one from downtown to give the Mustangs their largest lead of the night at 13, 24-11, near the midway point of the first half.


WNMU would keep the lead as high as 13 even a few minutes later following a pair from the free throw line by Carter at the 7:42 mark, but the Eagles had a run left in them over the remaining minutes of the half.


They would outscore the Mustangs by 10 over those remaining minutes leaving WNMU ahead by just three, 35-32, at halftime.


WNMU would hold the lead through the first almost five minutes of the second half when CSC took their first lead at 44-43.
The teams would go back-and-forth exchanging one-point leads until a few minutes later when CSC pushed the lead to four, 53-49, at the 13:13 mark.


The Mustangs came back to tie the game a little over three minutes later with Mason hitting two from the free throw line, followed by a layup on the fastbreak by Suarez for a 59-all game.


The Eagles then found a groove, ripping off a quick 10-0 run over the next two minutes for a 69-59 lead.


WNMU would continue to chip away, but they would never be able to come all the way back over the final minutes.
They would get within two with a little over two minutes to play, with Mason connecting on another three-pointer and after Lucio Luttrell (Las Cruces, NM/Las Cruces High School) tallied a layup, it was an 80-78 game.


CSC answered back with a layup to push the lead to four and after the Mustangs missed on their ensuing possession, the Eagles came through with a big score on their next trip down the court. After the first shot was missed, Moala Tautuaa came away with a big offensive rebound and not only delivered a jumper, but was also fouled. He hit the ensuing foul shot to push the lead to seven and the game out of reach with a minute left to play.


The Mustangs had four players in double-figures, led by Riley's 19, followed closely by Carter's 18 and Mason's career-high 17. Suarez also found his way into double-digits with 10. WNMU shot 43.1 percent from the field, making 28-of-65 and were 20-of-30 from the free throw line. CSC connected at a 52.8 percent clip from the field (28-53), while going 27-of-36 from the foul line. They were led by Tautuaa who poured in a game-high 30 points.


WNMU will return home for just one game this coming week as they will host New Mexico Highlands this Saturday night with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. inside Drag's Court. Highlands had the same fate handed to them like the Mustangs in Nebraska, as the Cowboys dropped both games leaving them still with six conference victories.
 

Western New Mexico vs Chadron State
01/14/12 8 p.m. at Chadron, NE (Armstrong Gymnasium)
At Chadron, NE (Armstrong Gymnasium)
CHADRON STATE 91, WESTERN NEW MEXICO 85
WESTERN NEW MEXICO (5-11, 5-7 RMAC)
TJ Riley (Tyler, TX/Chapel Hill High School) 5-12 5-5 19; Chad Carter (Tucson, AZ/Ironwood Ridge High School) 6-11 6-7 18; Chris Mason (Phoenix, AZ/St. Mary's High School) 5-13 4-7 17; Juan
Suarez 4-7 1-4 10; Lucio Luttrell (Las Cruces, NM/Las Cruces High School) 4-8 1-2 9; Ryan Crane (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek High School) 1-6 2-2 5; Brelan
Berry 2-4 0-0 4; Daryl Littleton (Tucson, AZ/Palo Verde High School) 1-2 1-1 3; Everett Duis (El Paso, TX/El Dorado High School) 0-1 0-0 0; Merle
Branch 0-1 0-2 0; Edward Estavillo (Willcox, AZ/Willcox High School) 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-65 20-30 85.
CHADRON STATE (4-11, 4-7 RMAC)
Moala Tautuaa 8-11 14-17 30; Kevin McClelland 6-9 7-8 21; Sammy Hines 3-8
2-2 11; Chris Curtis 3-7 1-2 8; Josh Hatcher 2-4 1-2 5; Tim McDavid 2-4 0-1
4; David Downey 1-2 1-2 4; Kendrick Holliman 2-5 0-0 4; Christian McGhee 1-2
0-0 3; Kyle Vinich 0-1 1-2 1; Aldor Kola 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-53 27-36 91.
Western New Mexico............   35   50  -   85
Chadron State.................   32   59  -   91
3-point goals--Western New Mexico 9-26 (TJ Riley (Tyler, TX/Chapel Hill High School) 4-9; Chris Mason (Phoenix, AZ/St. Mary's High School) 3-8; Juan
Suarez 1-2; Ryan Crane (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek High School) 1-4; Everett Duis (El Paso, TX/El Dorado High School) 0-1; Lucio Luttrell (Las Cruces, NM/Las Cruces High School) 0-2), Chadron
State 8-14 (Sammy Hines 3-5; Kevin McClelland 2-3; David Downey 1-1;
Christian McGhee 1-2; Chris Curtis 1-1; Tim McDavid 0-2). Fouled
out--Western New Mexico-None, Chadron State-Josh Hatcher. Rebounds--Western
New Mexico 30 (Chris Mason (Phoenix, AZ/St. Mary's High School) 6), Chadron State 39 (Moala Tautuaa 7).
Assists--Western New Mexico 19 (TJ Riley (Tyler, TX/Chapel Hill High School) 5), Chadron State 17 (Sammy Hines
5). Total fouls--Western New Mexico 28, Chadron State 24. Technical
fouls--Western New Mexico-None, Chadron State-None. A-321
Moala Tautuaa scores career-high 30 points. Has now scored over 1,000 points
in his career.