Box Score SILVER CITY, N.M. – Fighting back from a 17-point deficit to cut it down to six midway through the second half, the Western New Mexico University men's basketball team couldn't fight all the way back as Colorado Christian University came away with the 93-75 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Friday night.

"Their weapons were locked in and they spread us out, penetrated and kicked with everybody," first-year head coach Jeff Law said. "The conventional defense of help and recovery, we couldn't recover quickly enough and that got the gap big out to 17, but we fought back like we always have and always do. We got it manageable and then fall in love with some jump shots and had some fouls."


CCU (14-10, 12-8 RMAC) opened the game with a three by Kyle Weaver and would never look back. WNMU (1-22, 1-19 RMAC) would come back to tie the game two minutes in on a three-point play by junior forward Marcos Castrillo (San Francisco, CA/Pinole Valley).


The Cougars would keep the hot shooting and pressure coming jumping the lead to 16 a pair of times, but the Mustangs refused to go away.


Freshman forward Enrique Borroel (El Paso, TX/Riverside) started a 9-0 run with a layup in transition on an assist from sophomore guard Adam Kesler (Silver City, NM/Silver). Castrillo added a jumper in the paint, to which Kesler drilled his own jumper in the paint and then a three-point play by junior point guard Terrez Scott (Santa Clarita, CA/Valencia) had WNMU down just seven, 41-34, with 3:55 to play in the first half.


CCU would close the half strong outscoring the Mustangs by seven to take a 53-39 lead into the locker rooms.


The Cougars opened the scoring with a Weaver three in the second for their largest lead at the time of 17. A 9-2 run by WNMU help cut the deficit back to 10. Senior Edward Estavillo (Wilcox, AZ/Wilcox) connected on a three and Castrillo tallied a layup leaving CCU ahead, 58-48, over three minutes into the second stanza.


The lead would remain in double-digits over the next two minutes when senior center Brelan Berry (Chandler, AZ/Basha High School) completed an old fashioned three-point play to make it a nine-point contest. Senior guard Chad Arechiga (Tucson, AZ/Ironwood Ridge) made it a six-point spread on the next trip down as his three made it a 62-56 game with 14 minutes to play.


The Cougars went back in front by as many as 14, but a Berry jumper and Kesler three-ball had it back to nine, 76-67, with 7:32 to play. That would end up being as close as the Mustangs would get, as CCU went on a 14-3 run over the next four minutes to grab the victory.


Castrillo led WNMU with 21 points, as he just missed out on a double-double with nine rebounds. Estavillo, Scott and Kesler tallied 11 points apiece, while Berry had 10. Weaver led CCU and all-scorers going for 24 points.


Each team shot over 50 percent with WNMU making 30-of-59 to a 29-of-57 effort for CCU. The Cougars held solid advantages in three-pointers (13-3) and at the foul line (22-12).


WNMU will return to action Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. against No. 11 Colorado School of Mines. The Orediggers defeated New Mexico Highlands, 77-69, earlier tonight. WNMU seniors Estavillo, Arechiga, Berry, Ryan Crane (Anthem, AZ/Boulder Creek High School) and Nate Murdock (Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle High School) will be honored before the game.