Silver City N.M. - Western New Mexico University's men's basketball team faced off against the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys this afternoon in their first home game of the season. The Mustangs were trailing by a good margin in the first half, but a second half surge brought them to within striking distance. Unfortunately the lead was to great to overcome by the end of the game. The Cowboys would claim victory, 74-71.
The Mustangs were led by
Isaiah Marin (Phoenix, AZ/Copper Canyon High School), who scored 22 points on 9-16 shooting, supported by
Aiden Wall (North Richland Hills, TX/Keller Central High School), who added 11 points and led in rebounds with seven, followed by
Nathan Jones (Leicester, United Kingdom/) and
Donovan Black (Las Cruces, NM/Del Valle High School) who contributed with 10 points each.
In the first half, the Mustangs lagged behind but the stats tell a different story. Western was shooting 45.8% from the field and 75.0% from 3-point range, while Highlands shot 41.0% from inside 3-point range and 33.3% beyond the arc in the first half. In the second half, there was a good surge from within the arc with the Mustangs shooting 46.7% and 57.1% from 3-point range, meanwhile the Cowboys were only 30.3% on shooting with an average of 27.3% beyond the arc. Western averaged 87.5% from the free-throw line on the day, which was well past Highlands' 63.6% from the FT line. Ultimately the stats didn't add up in Western's favor, regardless of the numbers. Cowboys would go on to win the game by 3 points in the end, 74-71.
The Mustangs will be back out on the road, facing the St. Mary's University Rattlers. They will be battling it out on Thursday, December 5th, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. MDT.
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, Facebook, YouTube & Instagram).
