Freshman Juliana Aragon scored 26 points Friday night while leading New Mexico Highlands to a 73-65 win over Chadron State in a women’s Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference basketball game played on the Cowgirls’ court.
Highlands got its final eight-point margin at the free throw line. Both teams made 25 field goals, including three 3-pointers apiece. But Highlands was 20-of-28 at the charity stripe and the Eagles were 12-of-17.
Aragon made nine of 11 free throws and teammate Delani Harris was seven-of-nine while scoring 15 points, the Cowgirls’ second-high total.
There were five ties and 10 lead changes in the first half. The Eagles were ahead 17-15 when the first quarter ended after freshman point guard Kyra Tanabe grabbed a defensive rebound, drove the length of the floor lickety-split and nailed a 3-pointer as time was expiring.
Seven of Highlands’ 15 points in the first frame came on seven of eight shooting at the free throw line.
The Cowgirls outscored the Eagles 20-13 in the second quarter to take a 35-30 halftime lead and were ahead the rest of the way. Aragon’s basket with four minutes left in the third gave her 19 of her team’s 49 points and a nine-point lead.
The Eagles cut the difference to a single point on Shay Powers’ jumper in the paint with 75 seconds left in the third quarter, but CSC could never get the lead.
The New Mexico team went ahead 70-57 with five minutes remaining. The Eagles scored the next eight points to draw within five with 65 seconds to play. But CSC didn’t score again and the Cowgirls made three of six free shots down the stretch to seal the verdict.
Senior guard Samiyah Worrall led the Eagles with 15 points, Powers scored 14 while playing just 23 of the 40 minutes because of foul trouble. She fouled out in the final minute. Tanabe finished with 10 points and both Allison Olsen and Claudia Dollinger added nine.
Chadron State—Samiyah Worrell 15, Shay Powers 14, Kyra Tanabe 10, Allison Olson 9, Claudia Dollinger 9, Awoti Akoi 6. Riley Aioni 2. Totals: 25-64 (3-10) 12-17 65 points, 35 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
New Mexico Highlands—Juliana Aragon 26, Delani Harris 15, Kendall Parker 10, Krystina Hagood 8, Neysa Munguia 8, Aja Scott 4, Jessika Espinoza 2. Totals: 25-59 (3-15) 20-28 73 points, 36 rebounds, 8 turnovers.
Chadron State 17 13 20 15 —-65
N.M. Highlands 15 20 18 20 —-73
3-pointers: CSC—Tanabe 2, Worrell 1. NMHU—Aragon, Parker, Hagood 1.