N.M. HIGHLANDS at WESTERN COLORADO
6 p.m., Tue., Dec. 16 | Paul Wright Gym | Gunnison, Colo.
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GUNNISON, Colo.  Coming off a wire-to-wire victory Saturday at home, Western Colorado looks to take the momentum from its highest scoring game in five seasons into a Tuesday evening non-conference matchup with visiting New Mexico Highland University.

THE HISTORY
The Cowboys own a 21-10 overall record against the Mountaineers, with the teams earning home wins in a split of the series last season. Western won the second of those two, downing Highlands, 89-75, in Paul Wright Gym on Jan. 11, 2025.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2025-26 Stats

• After surrendering a double-digit lead in a Dec. 11 home loss, Western came out firing on all cylinders two days later, pouring in 98 points in a 26-point victory over visiting Regis University, the point total the highest since a 107-point win in the 2020-21 season.
• Pouring in 33 and 34 points over the two games, Western's Aidan McDowell on Dec. 15 earned his fourth Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference player of the week award. The league's leading scorer at 28.9 points per game, McDowell is also the conference leader in 3-pointers (39) and triples per game (3.9), and his .943 percentage from the free throw line also tops the league's players.
• Western's 92 3-pointers is third most in the conference, as Tyler Halligan's 15, Jordan Kuac's 14, and Mason Mottashed's 10 have helped Western become one of the more dangerous long-range teams in the league.
• Halligan (16.5 PPG) and Kuac (11.3 PPG) are also averaging double figures for Western, while Halligan leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game with Kuac (5.4) and McDowell (5.3) helping the Mountaineers to a +2 rebounding margin over their opponents.
• Sitting in a tie for third in the conference with a 3-1 RMAC record, Western is playing far and away better than how it was viewed in the preseason RMAC coaches' poll, where it was voted 13th in the 15-team league.

N.M. HIGHLANDS COMING INTO THE GAME | 2025-26 Stats

• The Cowboys (2-9) had a rocky start to the season, losing their first seven games, but since then, are 2-2 including an 86-85 win over visiting Adams State on Dec. 11 in their most recent outing.
• Highlands has two players averaging double figures, led by Marcus Pierce's 14.5 PPG. Dontae Walker is next in line with a 12.3 PPG mark, but overall the Cowboys are minus-9 in scoring margin for the season.
• Part of that deficit comes from opponents ringing in a cumulative total of 84 treys, while the Cowboys have hit only 52 shots from behind the arc.
• A +2 rebounding margin is aided by Nikk Williams' 7.7 boards per game. Williams also leads the team in steals (18) and chips in with 8.9 PPG.

UP NEXT
Western is back in action after the holiday break, with a Jan. 2 non-conference date with host UC Colorado Springs, then shift back into RMAC action with a Jan. 8 game at Fort Lewis College.