ESPANOLA, NM---Mustang Basketball kicked off the Cory Hitchcock era with a 83-74 victory over Northern New Mexico on Thursday. The victory is the first time the Mustangs have won a season opener since 2016. The Mustangs saw 4 players in double figures and the defense held the Eagles to only 33 points in the 2nd half. 

"The guys played tough tonight.  Defensively we stepped up and did the little things to pull out the win.  We knew we had to limit their second chance opportunities and we did that.  To control the boards the way we did against a much bigger team is a good sign we are making progress.  I'm proud of them because they showed up ready to go.  We still have a lot to work on but the guys are buying in and they are not satisfied.  This is just one game and to get where we want to be we must show consistency." said Head Coach Cory Hitchcock after the victory on Thursday night.

The Mustangs were led by senior Rontrell Hills who had 18 points on 7-10 shooting from the field. The senior had 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals on the evening. A late addition to the starting lineup, freshman Alex Pena, took advantage of his opportunity to be the big man down low and scored 15 points in his collegiate debut. The forward from Denver, CO shot 6-7 from the field including 2-2 from beyond the arc. 

Junior Emmanuel McNeil grabbed a team high 7 rebounds to go along with 11 points and 1 steal. 

The Mustangs are back in action today, Friday, as they take on the Oklahoma City University Stars starting at 4:00 PM MST. "I am excited to see how we look tomorrow.  Oklahoma City has received some votes for the top 25 so this will be a great test for us.  I know the guys are excited to play and they will be ready to go." said Head Coach Cory Hitchcock on his upcoming opponent today.