by Michael Rowse

It was almost deja vu all over again in Gunnison as the Mustangs battled the Mountaineers of Western State College of Colorado in the second game of the current road trip. Just as they did Friday night, the Mustangs found themselves with the chance to take the final shot of the game and send the game into OT or get the win. Unfortunately the last shot once again missed the mark as WNMU fell to WSCU 73-71.

Western New Mexico opened the game with the first four points as Te Branch and Brelan Berry both hit mid range jumpers. WNMU would continue to play solidly and hold the lead until the home team took a 10-9 lead about five minutes into the game. Lucio Luttrell hit a three pointer shortly after that to tie the game at 12 but WSCU would score the next five points and hold the lead for the rest of the first half. The Mountaineers were shooting the ball at a torrid pace hitting not only 56% of their shot attempts but at one point had hit 5-7 from three point range.

WSCU and the Mustangs battled for most of the first half but the home team would end the stanza on a 13-5 run over the last six minutes to build an 11 point half time lead. WNMU saw their shooters go cold once again late in the half and the team was also losing the battle on the boards being out rebounded by 12 at the break.

The Mustangs have done a good job of regrouping during the break and Chad Carter got the first points of the second half, after he was held scoreless in the first half, but WSCU would then build the lead to 14 as Charles Joseph, 6-9 300 lbs, would get a couple more buckets inside by bulldozing the Mustang defenders.

But WNMU didn't go away and continued to battle creating 27 Mountaineer turnovers which lead to 18 Mustang points. Western New Mexico trimmed the deficit to 5 several times during the second half, once on a free throw by Te Branch and later Ryan Crane hit a three point bomb to make it a 50-45 Mountaineer lead at the midway point. WSC continued to shoot the ball very well hitting 56% of their shots and continuing to make three point buckets at key junctures of the game.

Trailing once again by double digits with just under eight minutes to play, Berry hit a bucket and after a Mustang stop he hit a pair at the free throw line then got a layup on the next possession to author a 6-0 Mustang run cutting the deficit to four, 64-60, with 4:27 left in the game. The teams would trade baskets over the next few minutes as Carter drilled a jumper in the lane and Branch hit a huge three point shot but neither team could take control of the game as time wound down.

With a minute left to play, shortly after Branch hit his three point bucket, the Mustangs got another basket in the lane from Carter and found themselves down 73-71 with just :25 to go in the contest. WNMU continued to send the Mountaineers to the free thrown line where they were hitting only 40% of their shots and allowing the Stangs to fight back. Steve Aldridige was on the line and missed both free throw attempts, Carter grabbed the carom and sprinted down the court looking for his second last second game winning shot of the season. But it was not to be as he got a decent look from the top of the key but the attempt bounced off the side of the rim and the game was over.

WNMU did a good job of protecting the ball committing only 13 turnovers and while the defense played solidly for WNMU the Mountaineers were en fuego hitting 51% overall and 50% of their three point shots. The Mustangs by comparison hit only 39% from the floor and made only 5 of 12 from downtown. The Stangs improved on the boards in the second half but were still out rebounded by double digits.

Carter came on in the second half to score a team high 19 points and tied for the rebounding lead with 8. Branch tallied a season and career high 18 points while Berry added 15 points and 8 boards as well. Terrence Boyd topped the WSCU scoring with 16 while the mountain Charles Joseph added 15 points and 12 boards.

WNMU drops to 2-2 in RMAC play, 3-4 overall while Western State remain undefeated in conference action, 4-0. The Mustangs will look to remain perfect in home court action this Friday and Saturday as they host CSU-Pueblo and UC-Colorado Springs on Drag's Court.