SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team returned to Lone Star Conference play on a high note Thursday night as the Hounds picked up a 58-46 victory over Western New Mexico.
It was Eastern’s first road win of the season as the Greyhounds (8-3, 3-0 LSC) snapped a three-game road losing streak and remained undefeated in conference action.
The Hounds struggled out of the gate as Western New Mexico (5-5, 1-2 LSC) jumped out to an early 7-2 lead within the first 3:09 of the first quarter. However, the Greyhounds put together a strong response by scoring six unanswered, capped off on an Alivia Lewis layup to claim their first lead of the game with 3:58 to go in the period.
The two teams traded blows over the final four minutes of the quarter and with ENMU trailing by one, Kamirah Decker was able to convert on a layup in the paint to reclaim the 15-14 edge with 1:15 left. The Lady Mustangs were able to convert a three-point play with just under a minute left to hold a 17-15 advantage going into the second quarter.
Freshman guard Zamorye Cox was able to ignite the ENMU offense with a layup in the first few seconds of the second quarter, starting a 9-0 run to make it a 24-17 Hounds advantage. After a Lady Mustangs bucket ended the run, the Hounds claimed their largest lead of the half on back-to-back buckets by Shelby Jones and Sydney Clark to set the score at 28-19.
With the Greyhounds holding a six-point edge with 2:55 to go, Cox knocked down ENMU’s only three-pointer of the contest to make it 31-22. The Lady Mustangs scored the only bucket in the final 2:55 as ENMU commanded a 31-24 advantage going into the break.
Western came out on-fire in the first five minutes of the third quarter, opening the period with a 10-2 run to regather a 34-33 lead with 5:22 to go. On the ensuing possession, Decker knocked down a jumper from the top of the key put Eastern back on-top 35-34 with 5:05 left, starting a 9-0 run that was capped off on a pair of free throws by Tilasha Okey to make it a 42-34 ENMU edge with 58 seconds remaining in the third. The Hounds ended the quarter with a pair of Clay free throws set the score at 44-35 going into the fourth.
Eastern continued to stay hot early in the fourth, scoring the first three buckets of the period on a Chelsea Hunter fastbreak jumper, a jumper in the paint by Decker, and a Treyanna Clay jumper with 7:42 remaining to take its largest advantage of the game at 50-35. The Hounds never let the Lady Mustangs any closer than 12 points as ENMU held on for the double-digit win.
Western was able to outshoot the Hounds by a 46 to 38 percent margin, but ENMU was able to take command of the game by forcing WNMU into committing 21 turnovers and recorded 17 offensive rebounds, beating the Lady Mustangs on the glass by a 32-22 margin.
Clay recorded her second consecutive double-double, leading the Hounds with 12 points and 10 rebounds to go with a pair of steals. Cox added nine points while Jones and Decker finished with eight points apiece.
The Hounds will look to stay unbeaten in LSC play on Saturday as ENMU will travel to Odessa, Texas to take on UT-Permian Basin at 1 p.m.
