Box Score LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Trailing by just three at the break, the Western New Mexico University men's basketball team was within range before Colorado Christian University outscored the Mustangs by 22 in the second half to take the 93-68 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Saturday night.


"After a decent first half, our Jekyll and Hyde came back and we had a hard time guarding them," first-year head coach Jeff Law said. "We need to get stronger mentally in order to maintain or obtain any success."


Edward Estavillo (Wilcox, AZ/Wilcox) gave WNMU (0-5, 0-2 RMAC) their first lead of the game nearly six minutes in with a three for the 10-9 advantage.


The teams would tie five times in the first half when CCU (3-3, 1-1 RMAC) took a 13-point lead with 6:46 left to go before halftime.


From there, the Mustangs regrouped with an Adam Kesler (Silver City, NM/Silver) layup engineering a 6-0 run as he added another layup and then a pair of free throws leaving the Cougars ahead, 33-26. Estavillo and Terrez Scott (Santa Clarita, CA/Valencia) combined to trim the deficit to four as Estavillo hit a triple and Scott a layup. WNMU would get as close as one with 38 seconds to go on a free throw by Estavillo and CCU would tally a pair from the line to take a 39-36 lead into the locker rooms.


A Scott layup off the fastbreak would bring WNMU back to within one at 41-40 just over a minute into the second half, which would be as close as the Mustangs would get the rest of the way. An 8-0 CCU run followed to open a nine-point spread with 16 minutes to play.


The Cougars would push the lead into double-digits a few minutes later and WNMU would get as close as 11 with under eight to play on a free throw by CJ Grigg (Reno, NV/). But the outside shooting of CCU was too much as a couple of three's over the next few minutes pushed the Cougars to the victory.


CCU made 14 three-pointers in the game to four for WNMU. Both teams shot well from the field with CCU hitting right at 50 percent (28-56) to 43.3 for WNMU (26-60). CCU was also plus-11 at the foul line making 23 to 12 for the Mustangs.


Scott and Estavillo led the Mustangs with each going for 11 points. Marcos Castrillo (San Francisco, CA/Pinole Valley) just missed out on a double-double with nine points and a team-high 12 rebounds. CCU's Avery Redmond led all-scorers with 23 points, as he cashed in six three-pointers.


WNMU will return to Silver City for their first home game of the season on Friday night against Colorado Mesa with game time set for 7:30 p.m. inside Drag's Court. The Mavericks split this weekend, defeating Chadron State, but fell to Black Hills State tonight.