LAS VEGAS, NM – On Saturday the Western Colorado University Women's Basketball team accomplished something only three other Mountaineer women's basketball teams have done. Western earned a 69-51 over New Mexico Highlands to improve to 10-3 on the season.
 
It is the first time the Mountaineers have won 10 of their first 13 games since the 1986-87 season. It's also just the fourth time Western has started the season with a 10-3 record. All three previous seasons the Mountaineers have made the national tournament.
 
Western (10-3, 6-3 RMAC) remained perfect on the road with the win and improve their record to 4-0 away from home. The last time Western won 10 or more games in a season came during the 2011-12 season when the Mountaineers earned 16 wins.
 
The Mountaineers have won their last three and seven of their last eight.
 
In the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings, Western is now tied with Colorado State University – Pueblo for third place.
 
Although the Mountaineers won by 18 points, the outcome was in question for most of the first half.
 
Western fell behind early and trailed by 15 points, 14-29, midway through the second quarter. At halftime, the Mountaineers trailed NMHU (3-13, 1-8 RMAC) 22-29 after an 8-0 run to close the quarter.
 
Western continued the second half right where they left off in the first half, going on a 20-4 run. Samantha Coleman made a jumper in the paint at the 3:50 mark of the third to put Western ahead by nine points, 42-33.
 
Coleman led all players with 19 points. It's the sixth straight game of double figure points for the sophomore. Coleman has scored 15 or more points in five games this season and leads the team, averaging 12.1 points per game.
 
After NMHU cut the lead to three points with 6:07 left to play, the Mountaineers turned on the burners and ended the game on a 17-2 run.
 
After shooting 28.6 percent (4-of-14) in the first quarter, Western shot over 64 percent in each of the following three quarters to end the game at 56.3 percent (27-of-48) shooting from the field.
 
10 of Western's 27 made field goals came beyond the arc. The Mountaineers made 43.5 percent of their 23 three-point attempts.
 
The Mountaineers also outrebounded the Cowgirls 37-19.
 
Jadyn Kanzler and Savannah Cox also reached double figures in scoring. Kanzler added 16 points, while Cox notched 12.
 
Tammarrah Gothard recorded a double-double, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds and recording a game-high 12 assists.
 
Western will continue the road trip next weekend at Fort Lewis College and Adams State University.