The Mustangs couldn't afford to fall into a 1-3 hole in RMAC play after losing on Friday to Colorado Mesa; it didn't look good early in the 2nd half as the Mustangs offensive struggles continued but good defense kept them within striking distance and the Mustangs took off about the 10 minute mark of the 2nd period to outscore the visiting Mountaineers of Western State College by 19 points over the final 10 minutes to pull away with a 66-56 victory.
The Mustangs continue to play well defensively forces 14 turnovers against a team that is very disciplined and doesn't turn the ball over much. The Mustangs also protected the ball themselves turning it over only 12 times. The Mustangs also dominated the boards in the 2nd half grabbing 10 more boards in the period than WSC. That helped to limit Western State to only 6 second chance points. WSC shot only 21% from long range and 33% from inside as the Mustangs pressure bothered the big guys from WSC inside and out. Only one Mountaineer scored in double figures, Alex Hart had 10 points.
For Western New Mexico, Chad Carter roared back to life dominating the scoring early and again late. Chad was 10-15 on the night for 27 points and just missed a double-double with 9 rebounds. Chad grabbed 8 boards in the second half and was playing with a ferocity that we've seen in the past but not recently. T.J. Riley's outside shooting woes continued but in crunch time T. J. found a way to score driving to the basket coming up with 9 points, most of which were key buckets late in the game. Juan Suarez added 8 points and 8 assists as he continued to frustrate opposing defenders getting by them easily and into the paint.
The Mustangs also got solid play off the bench, especially from Merle Branch and Chris Mason. They helped the Mustangs get 15 points from the bench and they played solid defense. While they didn't put up huge numbers, their plays were key. Chris hit a key 3 pt shot that sparked the Mustang comeback and Te (Merle) got 3 steals and 2 assists late which were key. The Stangs will take on CSU-Pueblo and UC-Colorado Springs this weekend with a contest against NMSU on Wednesday night.
Mustang strong defense pulls out win
- Category: Sports
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