As temperatures dipped down to the 30s and the first snow fell earlier in the day on Oct. 24, the Northern New Mexico College mens basketball team took the floor for the first time this season at Eagle Memorial Gymnasium.
Fittingly, a winter-type day marked the beginning of basketball season and the opening tipoff for the Eagles, but the night was spoiled by the University of the Southwest, as the Mustangs snagged an 83-74 victory.
Hot shooting for the Southwest was aided by Northern mistakes in the second half, and the Mustangs outscored the Eagles by 10 points (43-33) in the final 20 minutes after an even first half of play, which ended in a 41-40 advantage for Northern.
The Southwest shot 49 percent from the floor for the game’s entirety, sinking buckets from the perimeter when it mattered most in the second half.
“When we looked at the scouting report, the scouting report told us they weren’t great shooters,” Northern head coach Ryan Cordova said. “That’s why we showed that zone, but every time we showed that zone, the possession would get down in the shot clock and they’d make shots.”
The Southwest was hottest in the second half, shooting 54 percent from the floor and 57 percent (4-of-7) from beyond the arc.
However, Cordova was quick to point out the Mustangs’ determination in loose-ball situations as a key factor to why his team was outplayed in the second half.
“They outhustled us and they beat us to every 50-50 ball,” he said. “They beat us by 13 rebounds, which is basically 26 points.”
The Southwest’s 36-23 advantage on the glass featured outrebounding Northern 11-to-4 on the offensive end. Turnovers also hurt the Eagles, as they suffered 15 for the game, with just five coming off steals from the Mustangs.
The Southwest received a balanced scoring attack with four players landing in double-digits. Rontrell Hills had a game-high 18 points, Alex Peña put in 13, Tyler Watkins had 12 and Emmanuel McNeil added 11.
The Mustangs’ surge in the second half to break away started early and they built a nine-point lead (61-52) after a McNeill basket with 10:44 remaining.
From that point, Northern cut the deficit to as small as six on two occasions and got within five points (75-70) after a 3-pointer by Jeremy Anaya from the corner with 2:30 remaining.
The Southwest answered Anaya’s triple with a quick 4-0 run to increase the lead back to 79-70 to help secure the victory.
Tyrique Weaver led the way for Northern with 16 points, Naquwan Solomon had 12 and Anaya had 10. All three are returners for the Eagles.
Cordova said the goal in the immediate future will be to quickly sharpen up the new players on the roster and sharpen the effort of his returning players.
As for the second half slump against the Mustangs, the head coach took the blame for that one.
“I didn’t do a very good job at coaching the second half, I don’t think,” Cordova said. “We haven’t had a scrimmage or any of those situations to tighten things up (before our first game) and get in the groove of things. We know we need to tighten some bolts, and I told them, ‘We know we’re OK.’”
Northern led by as many as eight points in the game’s first half, and there were only two lead changes the entire night.