GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado hit eight of its 11 3-pointers in the second half Saturday, turning a two-point halftime lead into a 64-51 non-conference women's basketball victory over visiting Northern New Mexico College.

Jayde Tschritter led all scorers in the game with 15 points, all from behind the arc and including three consecutive triples during Western's third-quarter surge.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. Northern N.M., 64-51
Records: Western 8-3, Northern N.M. 13-10
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The lead changed hands 11 times through 25 minutes of action, with the visiting Eagles leading 29-28 at the 4:42 mark of the third quarter.
• Rachel Cockman knocked down a 3-pointer from the right side to push Western in front, and that's when Tschritter took over.
• She'd made one triple each in the first and second quarters, but shooters don't stop shooting and that was a good thing for the Mountaineers. After Cockman gave Western the lead, Tschritter made a steal at one end of the floor then drained a trey at the other end to kick start her splurge.
• The Eagles answered with a layup to cut back into the lead, but Tschritter wasn't done terrorizing the visitors. Her answer was another triple and then one more to lengthen Western's advantage to nine, 40-31.
• Leading 40-32 at the start of the fourth, Alyssa Eckroth joined in the long-range fun, dropping a 3-pointer in to begin the scoring. Later in the quarter Ivey Schmidt hit one from behind the arc and Jayda Maves added two more to the day's total.
• Western hit 8 of 19 from beyond the arc in the second half, drastically improving from a 3-for-14 first half from long range.

COURT NOTES

• Schmidt finished with nine points while Cockman and Eckroth added eight apiece.
• Penelope Urquhart led Western in rebounding with seven, part of a 44-26 advantage the Mountaineers built off the glass during the win. Five different players had at least five rebounds for Western on the afternoon.
• The Mountaineers were advantageous when given free shots over the game, finishing the win hitting 13-of-16 from the foul line, including 8 of 9 in the fourth quarter.
• The Western win halted a seven-game win streak for Northern New Mexico.
• The Mountaineers have heated up in the second half now a second time this season against the Eagles. In the final game before the Thanksgiving break, Western led at the half by a count of 24-17, then poured in 45 second-half points in an eventual 69-35 neutral-site win in Durango, Colo.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT

• The matchup with the Eagles marks the final non-conference game of the season for Western, which jumps back into Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Thursday with a visit from Fort Lewis College.
• The Mountaineers close out next weekend with a Saturday bout against visiting New Mexico Highlands.