GUNNISON – Western State Colorado University men's basketball closed out the 2016-17 season by knocking down any playoff chances New Mexico Highlands University had with a 94-81 victory. The team knocked down 17 3-point shots in the victory, one shy of the fifth-best mark in school history.
 
The treys were raining from all over the court for Western, as five players dropped down a deep shot. The 17 mark was hit for the fourth time this season, a mark no team has hit better than since the 1995-96 season that hit 18 3-pointers in a game three times that season.
 
Brady Subart led the charge for Western with 23 points. He was six of 10 from beyond the arc, as well as dishing out seven assists. Subart was not alone, as Will Duggan had nearly equal numbers with 21 points – 5-of-6 from beyond the arc – and seven assists as well. The guard duo was joined by Collin Smith, who had 21 points and seven boards.
 
Smith made history tonight with a trip to the foul line that put him third in school history in free throw percentage in a season. Smith converted 60 of his 69 foul attempts this season for an 86.9 percentage.
 
Another stand out performance for Western came from Zach Madlom in just his sixth start this season. The center had 12 points and was one board shy of a double-double.
 
The game was a tale of two stories, paint game and jump shots. For the Cowboys the paint was the focus, but Western's defense held them to just 30 points in the paint despite being outsized at most positions. For Western, the jump shot was huge, as the team only converted 16 points in the paint.