LAKEWOOD/GOLDEN, Colo. – With just three games remaining on the schedule, every game is magnified that much more for the Western New Mexico University women’s basketball team. The Lady Mustangs are just a half-game out of one of the eight RMAC Tournament spots and play a pair of tough road games this weekend at Colorado Christian University and Colorado School of Mines.
WNMU will face Colorado Christian first on Friday night at 6 p.m. The Cougars are 12-13 overall, but more importantly are 12-7 in RMAC play, good for fourth. CCU has won two straight with wins at Chadron State and Black Hills State. They hold a 7-4 mark at home this season.
The Cougars average 64.2 points and allow 64.3, while making 40.6 percent of their shots and allowing 38.5. Since the arrival of Christina Whitelaw and Alyssa Fressle at semester, CCU has been a new-look team. Kate Louthan continues to lead the team in both scoring (12.8) and rebounds (6.6) per game. Claire Paxton adds 12.2 and 6.5 rebounds, while Taylor Torres also scores in double-figures with 11 per game.
Whitelaw has already tallied 58 steals in just 14 games to lead the team. She also averages 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. Division I transfer Fressle tallies 7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds in 14 games this season.
WNMU dominated the first meeting this season in Silver City posting an 80-51 victory. The Lady Mustangs also rolled to a 95-67 win last year in Lakewood.
The next night on Saturday at 5 p.m. WNMU will battle Colorado School of Mines. The Lady Orediggers have battled through injuries and are 11-14 overall and 6-13 in RMAC play. They are 7-5 at home. They have lost three straight as before their losing skid started they came away with a big win at MSU Denver.
CSM averages 66.1 points per game and allows 66.0. They make 39.8 percent from the field and allow 37.3 opponents percentage. Taylor Helbig leads the team with 14.8 points per game. Courtney Martin adds 14.6 and Laura Tyree with 11.5. Sam Rusk leads in rebounds with 7.5 per game.
WNMU came away with a 68-50 victory earlier this season in Silver City. Colorado Mines took last year’s matchup in Golden, 84-78.
The Lady Mustangs sit just a half-game back of Regis, Fort Lewis and MSU Denver for sixth in the conference and just a game back of Black Hills State for fifth. WNMU holds tiebreakers against MSU Denver and Black Hills State, having won the head-to-head meeting earlier this season.
WNMU (13-10, 10-9 RMAC) split their last four games at all home defeating Adams State and Western State. WNMU averages 63.3 points per game and allows just 58.7. They made 38.5 percent and allow 37.4 percent. Ashley Mitchell (Fort Defiance, AZ/Window Rock High School) leads the team in points per game at 13. She also leads in three-pointers made with 35. Stephanie Moore (Anton, TX/Anton High School) (9.9), RaTanya Newsome (Tucson, AZ/Tucson High School) (9.7) and Jade Botelho (Honolulu, HI/Iolani High School) (8.3) all average near nine per night. Nalani Hernandez (Tucson, AZ/Tucson High School) leads in rebounding at 7.1 per game. Newsome leads in assists (134) and steals (58). Newsome leads the RMAC in both categories and is eighth nationally in assists and 38th in steals.
As a team, WNMU ranks high still in several categories. First in RMAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.04) which is 34th nationally, first in RMAC in three-point field goal defense (23.5) which is also first in the NCAA, first in RMAC in turnovers per game (13.6) which is 19th in NCAA. They rank 27th in scoring defense (58.7), good for third in the RMAC, 21st nationally in turnover margin (4.30), second in the RMAC.
In terms of RMAC only stats individually Moore is fifth in field goal percentage (53.2), Newsome is fourth in three-point percentage (41), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4) and eighth in minutes played (32.7).
