COWBOYS UP

The New Mexico Highlands men’s basketball team is off to a 5-0 start in the RMAC.

Thanksgiving had come and gone and the New Mexico Highlands men’s basketball team had hit a wicked stretch.

The Cowboys had lost five in a row, counting an 83-67 loss at Wyoming, but not counting an exhibition whipping at UNLV.

Now Christmas season has arrived and Highlands has won five straight, putting the Cowboys (6-5, 5-0) atop the RMAC.

NMHU coach Craig Snow said the turnaround is a product of “getting punched in the nose” by a tough schedule and the incorporation of new players.

“I told our guys 20 days ago when we were coming back from LA (after a loss to California Baptist), and having lost five in a row, that we were not as bad as we thought we were,” Snow said. “Now, we’re coming back from South Dakota (after a win over South Dakota School of Mines) and we have won five in a row. And we’re not as good as we think we are.”

Cowboys Kendrick Nichols, Marlon Johnson, Jonathon Mines and Ron Lawton all average double-digit scoring. Johnson averages 8.2 rebounds a game, while Mines averages 3.2 assists. They have won their last five games by an average score of 88.8 to 75.6.

“I think it has been a natural growth of the team, with eight new guys still learning the system,” Snow said.

Highlands also played its first eight games of the season on the road. Their first home game was the RMAC opener against Western New Mexico, an 84-64 decision that sparked the winning streak.

“Anytime you challenge yourself, you get exposed,” Snow said. “Certain rotations, certain combinations. But you also find some strengths. … If you play a schedule that’s not quite as difficult, it’s hard to glean those things.”

NMHU is in the middle of a mandatory seven-day break. It returns to practice Monday to prepare for a Jan. 1 home game against Colorado Christian.

“We’re probably the only team in the country that doesn’t want a break right now because we’re playing so well,” Snow said.