LAS VEGAS, N.M. - Westminster men's basketball (5-7, 3-3 RMAC) led by as many as 20 in the opening half and went into the break with a 16-point advantage but N.M. Highlands (6-6, 1-5 RMAC) connected on five second half three's including a go-ahead three with six seconds to play in the game in a 68-64 for the Cowboys on Friday night at the John A. Wilson Complex.

Brayden Johnson had a late offensive outburst to help keep Westminster in the game down the stretch and finished with a team-leading 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting overall including 3-of-3 from three.  Donaval Avila knocked down a pair of three's on the night and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Lewis Johnson got the start and had a team-leading nine rebounds to go along with three made three's.

Westminster, which had a season-best 10 made three's in Wednesday night's exhibition game at BYU, again reached a season-high with nine three pointers from four different shooters on Friday night. 

The Griffins entered the weekend with the second-best rebounding margin in the conference and finished with a 40-31 edge on the glass against the Cowboys, limiting N.M. Highlands to only one second-chance field goal on the night.  Westminster took a game-=high 20-point lead after a Reme Torbert three late in the first half and carried a 16-point lead into the halftime break. 

The Cowboys came storming out of halftime on a 17-2 run to get back into the game and eventually led by as many as seven in a second half in which they went 15-of-23 at the free throw line.  Brayden Johnson's 10-point outburst late in the second half was followed by a Lewis Johnson three-pointer to put Westminster ahead, 62-59 with three and a half minutes to play.

Taylor Miller later connected on a pair of free throw's to even the game at 64-64 but the Cowboys would run the clock down on the ensuing possession which was capped off by their go-ahead three from Mario Archuleta with six seconds to play in regulation.

Westminster will continue it's New Year's road trip into Colorado as it gets set to take on UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m.

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