Western basketball falls to New Mexico Highlands

The Western Colorado University men's basketball team traveled to Las Vegas, New Mexico on Nov. 29 to take on New Mexico Highlands University in a non-conference contest.

The Cowboys were first on the board with a jumper in the paint, but the Mountaineers responded with a three made by senior Kade Juelfs. The next few possessions for each team resulted in scores, tying the game at 8 apiece. A three by junior Ty Buckmon gave Western a 3-point lead, but Highlands got within one point after a jumper in the paint to take it to 11-10.

After two scoreless minutes, Highlands took their lead back. Senior Amar Rivers finished around the rim, and then scores were traded back-and-forth until the Cowboys took a 33-22 lead. Western Junior Jamel Hollin went two-for-two from the free throw line to cut the lead 33-24.

With just under five minutes to play in the first half, Highlands cushioned their advantage. Then senior Spencer Wright sank two free throws, adding to Western’s score. The first half ended with a layup from Rivers, a dunk from senior Trey Anderson and multiple scores from Highlands, extending their advantage to 52-33.

Juelfs hit junior Andrew Reichart for a layup to cut the lead to 19. With 10 minutes left, Juelfs hit a shot behind the arch to trail by 72-57. Moments later, sophomore Tyler Halligan and Hollins put away points in the paint, cutting the Cowboy's lead. The Mountaineers battled to the end, but Highlands came out on top, 94-86.

Juelfs led the Mountaineer offense with 28 points, going 5-6 from the free-throw line, 8-14 from the field and 7-12 from behind the arch. Jamel and Rivers contributed 10 points while Halligan, Buckmon and Reichart each put up 8.

Next up, the Mountaineers will host RMAC opponent Colorado Christian University for a white out game on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

(Drew Dunathan is the assistant athletics communications director at Western Colorado University, and can be reached at ddunathan@western.edu.)