KINGSVILLE, Texas – Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball records its second consecutive victory after defeating Texas A&M-Kingsville 60-45 Saturday afternoon. The result moves the Hounds to a 13-5 overall record with a 7-5 mark in Lone Star Conference play.
Head Coach Josh Prock registered his 200th NCAA career victory and now pushes his overall record to 200-126. Prock is in the midst of his seventh season at the helm of the ENMU women’s basketball program and has led the Hounds to their first two NCAA Tournament berths during the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons.
The Hounds finished with three separate players who totaled double-digit scoring figures led by sophomore Zamorye Cox with 15. The Portales, N.M. native also added five assists and a pair of steals which moves her steal total to 51 on the season, tied for the highest mark in the league.
Senior Natalie DeLonge added 12 points to go along with five rebounds, a block and a steal while junior Alivia Lewis finished with ten points and a game-high nine boards. Redshirt sophomore Natalie Stice knocked down both of her three-point attempts, finishing with eight points to round out the Hounds top scorers.
The Hounds have been prone to slow starts so far this season but buried their first three shots as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead to begin the ball game. DeLonge got the scoring started with an easy layup set up by a perfectly timed pass from Lewis before the run was capped off by a pull-up jumper from Cox.
The second quarter began very differently than the first as Eastern entered into a shooting slump. The Javelinas mounted a 10-2 run as the home team gained a 21-20 advantage midway through the second frame. DeLonge received the ball while she was posted up in the paint and broke up the scoring drought with a layup, set up by a beautiful spin move. The two squads exchanged buckets in the waning minutes of the second half with the Hounds holding a 26-24 advantage after the first 20 minutes of play.
TAMUK buried a long three-pointer coming out of the locker room which the Hounds answered with ten consecutive points of their own. Eastern garnered momentum from the rally and never looked back as it held its opponents scoreless for a five-minute stretch. The Green and Silver rattled off 18 points in the third quarter, shooting 8-for-17 from the floor with a pair of field goals from beyond the arch. Entering the fourth quarter the Hounds found themselves with a ten-point advantage.
A defiant block from DeLonge led to a fast break three-pointer from Stice as the Greyhounds continued to build their lead. Eastern led by as much 19 points and relied on its stout defense to limit the Javelinas scoring chances as the High Plains squad held on for the victory.
The Hounds return home next weekend for pivotal games against in-division rivals which could have serious postseason implications as they host UT Permian Basin and Western New Mexico.
