The Warriors struggled to hang with the relentless long-range shooting of Western New Mexico on Saturday night, falling 83-69 in the final game of the County Bank Classic.

Senior Rick Cardoso had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors. Senior Heath Colvin led the team in scoring for the second night in a row with 16 points. Senior Casey Fletcher, getting his first start of the season in place of Scott Behrs, added eight points and eight rebounds.

The Mustangs made six 3-pointers in the second half alone to add to a 10-24 night from beyond the arc. Trey Clarkson made five 3-pointers and Casey Crevelone made four. The pair led the Mustangs in scoring with 19 points and 18 points, respectively.

"We had enough people to beat them, we just didn't compete," said Warrior head coach Keith Larsen. "I thought we were a little heavy-legged, even though I think we're in shape for it."

The first half was a back-and-forth battle as both teams traded scoring runs. After the Warriors opened the game with a 6-2 lead, WNMU went on a 9-0 run to go up 11-6. The Warriors then answered with their own 13-3 run to take a 19-14 lead.

The Mustangs finally pulled away towards the end of the first half with a 17-5 run. The two teams traded several baskets with a more normal pace as the half ended and headed into the locker room at halftime with a 38-30 score, Mustangs lead.

The Warriors had a hard time finding the net from 3-point range in the second half. After shooting 40 percent in the first half, the Warriors made just 18 percent of their 3-point attempts, including two in the final minutes. Cal State Stanislaus began pressing with about eight minutes to go in the game, but the deficit was already too large. WNMU moved the ball well around the court and held on for the win.

"We have to put this game behind us," Colvin said. "We can't let one game say what we can do the rest of the season."

The loss drops the Warriors to 1-3 overall on the season. The California Collegiate Athletic Association season begins on Wednesday when Chico State comes to Warrior Arena for a 7:30 p.m. start. 

"This is what we've been working on. (Chico State) is really similar to us," Larsen said. "Since we're at home, we need to jump on them. We need to get that killer instinct."

The Wildcats were picked to finish ninth, one spot behind the Warriors, in this season's CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.