Box Score Silver City, NM – Western New Mexico University rolled into their second game of conference play against the St. Edwards Hilltoppers earlier today. For the 2^nd time in a row, the Mustangs left the court on a tight score with a massive block by Brooke Rodgers (Phoenix, Arizona/Cactus Shadows High School) to save the game. Mustangs pulled out the win 54-51 and remain as the only team in the LSC to have a perfect overall record.
 
With her best scoring game this season, Jade Goynes (Fort Worth, TX/North Crowley High School) knocked down 5-7 FG to give WNMU 11 points from her individual play. Next to her, Sydney Wright (Houston, Texas/Henley High School) also had double figures for the team. She struggled from deep shooting 3-11, but was perfect from the charity stripe at 3 for 3. She is now 6-6 on FT, leading in the conference in overall FT%.
 
Milan Tuttle (Oakland, California/Heritage High School) and Rodgers combined for 6 assists in today's matchup, sharing three from each player.
 
The team had a much better start in this game compared to Thursday's matchup against St. Mary's. The 2^ndquarter turned the tides for the team as they shot 6 for 18 and allowed the Hilltoppers to cut their lead. The 3^rdquarter also looked the same as they went 6-18 on FG and 0-2 behind the arc.
 
With the scoring drought in the middle of the game, Coach Josh Pace stated that "we [WNMU] did not play our best, but we were able to come out with the win". Although the score was much closer than he would have liked, he also stated "very proud of the resiliency our girls showed today. It's important to have a good start in this conference and we have done that".
 
The mustangs began the game with the first bucket, but quickly allowed St. Edwards to take the lead. Halfway through the 1^st quarter, WNMU found their range and shot 2-3 from deep, giving the team a comfortable margin. They also had a higher 30% shooting differential from the field. Mustangs finished Quarter 1 with a seven-point lead.
 
In the start of Quarter 2, the Mustangs went on a major scoring run, stretching the winning margin by nearly 20 points. But the Hilltoppers answered back and cut the lead down to single digits. The mustangs would head to the locker room still in the lead 29-22.
 
Both teams were pretty even in the 3^rd quarter with WNMU only outscoring St. Edwards by 1.
 
Through the 4^th quarter, the Hilltoppers slowly chipped away the Mustangs lead, and tied up the game with less than 3 minutes to go. As both teams were wrapping up the last quarter, the Hilltoppers found themselves in foul trouble and allowed the Mustangs to score some crucial layups. 
 
With 8 seconds left on the clock, WNMU forced a turnover but fouled the Hilltoppers while inbounding the ball. St. Edwards attempted to kick the ball out to the left corner for a last chance three to tie up the game, but Rodgers managed to get her hand on the ball and prevent the shot from going in.
 
The Mustangs will face the number three team in the region, Texas Women's University, in Denton, TX next Saturday on Dec. 7 and see if they can save their streak another week.
 

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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, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok & Instagram)