Box Score SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University Men's Basketball team closed out the Conference Crossover with the RMAC, with a home match up against Adams State. The Mustangs would defeated the Grizzlies thanks to big second half, 90-72.

"I was very happy for us today," said Head Coach Zane Gibson. "This win was a complete team effort."

Three Mustangs would finish in double digits against the Grizzlies. Keith Littles (Augusta, GA/) and DJ Heath (Anniston, AL/) lead the Mustang offense with 13 points each. Littles shot 6-8 from the field and Heath shot 5-9. Olamide Pedersen (Bronshoj, Denmark/Sunrise Christian Academy) added 11 points including a perfect 5-5 shooting stripe and three blocks.

The paint and the bench proved to be the winning keys for the Mustangs today. WNMU outscored the Grizzlies in paint 50-32. The Mustangs bench held a 43-21 advantage on Adams State's bench.

Neither team was in foul trouble, but the Mustangs did shoot better at the line than the Grizzlies. WNMU would shoot 9-12 (75%) compared to the Grizzlies 6-9 (67%). The Mustangs forced the Grizzlies into 18 turnovers compared to 11 from the Mustangs.

On the glass Isaiah Lewis (Mansfield, TX/) lead the Mustangs with six rebounds. Jaylin McFadden (Rockford, IL/) and Dane Quest (Ontario, Canada/) added four boards each as well. Heath was the Mustang leader dishing the ball, leading with five assists.

In the first half the Mustangs shot the ball at 55% and 38% from three-point range. WNMU would finish the game shooting 62% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. The Grizzlies managed to shoot a respectable 48% from the field and 33% from three.

WNMU went into halftime trailing the Grizzlies 44-43. The Grizzlies would start off the second half with a 6-0 run before Coach Gibson installed a platoon swap. The substitutions of Quest, Pederson, Joshuwan Johnson (Phoenix, AZ/Maricopa High School), McFadden and Andres Andrade Rossi (Gran Canaria, Canary Island, Spain/The Phelps School) sparked the Mustangs into a 39-8 run. That would be more than enough to put away the Grizzlies.

"We absolutely started off the second half slow, so changing it up was essential," said Gibson. "Bringing in Josh, Andy, Jaylin, Dane and Ola gave us the change we needed and that's what won us the game."

Three Grizzlies managed to score double figures on the Mustangs. Lamont Sanders led all scorers with 18 points, including 3-5 from beyond the arc. Isaiah Sampson would add 17 points on 8-13 from the field. Kaleb Mitchell would score 10 points on 5-5 shooting splits.

"When you have a young man like Andy who grinds his tail off everyday to finally get his chance and affect the game in the way he did, was awesome to see," said Gibson.

Top Mustangs:
DJ Heath (Anniston, AL/): 13 pts, 5 ast, 2 stls, (5-9 FGs)
Keith Littles (Augusta, GA/): 13pts, (6-8 FGs)
Olamide Pedersen (Bronshoj, Denmark/Sunrise Christian Academy): 11 pts, 3 blks, (5-5 FGs)

The Mustangs will be back in action on Nov 15^th at SAGU (6:00PM MT).

This game recap is presented by First American Bank. First American Bank is a proud supporter of WNMU Athletics!  

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 Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (Twitter, TikTok & Instagram).