Silver City, NM–  The Western New Mexico University Mustangs took on the Texas A&M University Kingsville (TAMUK) Javelinas Friday afternoon at Drag's Court. Both teams had their share of momentum changes throughout the game and in the end the Javelinas came out on top.

The first half was a bit of a slow start for both teams. Quarter one ended 11-8 as the Mustangs trailed by three. TAMUK shot a total of 31.6 % at the end of the quarter and WNMU shot a total of 25%. Both teams struggled to find the basketball rim with many attempts of shooting. At the end of halftime, the Javelinas lead the Mustangs 23-17.

Both teams picked up the pace in the third quarter going back and forth with tying scores and lead changes. Senior Destiney Johnson (El Paso, TX/Parkland HS) wowed the crowd with a powerful swat against the Javelinas' offense. With 6:41 left on the clock, Junior Abigail Walter (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan Catholic HS) drew a foul, made the basket and free throw totaling 13 points for herself and 3 points more points on the board for the Mustangs. The Quarter three had a final score of 47-35 as the Mustangs trailed by 12 points.

The Javelinas really capitalized on scoring using their bench players totaling 38 points in just the fourth quarter. Junior Zyan Smith (Queen Creek, AZ/Mesquite High School ) played very physical and attentive to where her teammates were positioned while also putting up points. Overall, the final quarter seemed to give both teams equal opportunities as the Mustangs and Javelinas both had 5 rebounds, 13 shooting attempts, and 64 ball possessions. In the end, TAMUK took home a victory with a final score of 60-47.

The Mustangs had two girls who shot double digits: Abigail Walter (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan Catholic HS) 17 points (60% shooting) and Zyan Smith (Queen Creek, AZ/Mesquite High School ) 12 points (33% shooting). The team had a total of 3 blocks, 19 turnovers, 26 rebounds, and a 41.4% shooting average.

Mustangs Highlights:
Abigail Walter (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan Catholic HS) – (17 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, & 2 stl)
Zyan Smith (Queen Creek, AZ/Mesquite High School ) – ( 12 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, & 2 stl)
Destiney Johnson (El Paso, TX/Parkland HS) – (6 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, & 1 stl)


WNMU will be back on the road for a match up against University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Thursday January 13^th at 4:30pm MT.