SILVER CITY, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball was able to secure its first win of 2020 after defeating Western New Mexico 61-46 Thursday evening.
Senior Jasmine Williams recorded her third double-double of the year with a ten point and 15 rebound performance while fellow post player Natalie DeLonge led the Hounds with 13 points while adding eight boards and a pair of blocks. The Mustangs came into the game shooting 31.1 percent from beyond the arch however, Eastern was fantastic at closing out on opposing shooters and held the opposition to a 16.7 percent shooting clip from three-point range.
The Green and Silver outrebounded WNMU 43-30 and were especially impressive on the attacking end of the floor as the Hounds hauled in 22 offensive rebounds and recorded 18 second chance points. Sophomore Zamorye Cox showed the league while she is one of the best perimeter defenders in the Lone Star Conference and finished with a game-high six steals to go along with her nine points. Post player Kamirah Decker continues to be effective with limited touches and scored ten points, shooting four for five from the field.
Both teams struggled to break the other’s defense in the first quarter as the game remained tied 6-6 before the Hounds rattled off five consecutive points to begin the second frame. The run was sparked by an and one layup from Decker and capped off by a fast break layup from redshirt-freshman Natalie Stice.
Decker hauled in an offensive rebound and went straight up with it as she was hacked from behind, finishing through the contact and converting the traditional three-point play with the ensuing free-throw. The following play Williams was able to poke the ball away from the Mustang point guard near mid court before sending a nice pass to the streaking Stice.
The third quarter remained a back-and-forth affair as both teams traded buckets. The Mustangs where able to capitalize on their efficient offense and trimmed the deficit to single digits, trailing 41-33 entering the fourth quarter.
Western looked as if it might stage a comeback, pulling within five points before the Greyhounds regained their composure and put the game out of reach midway through the fourth. With Eastern leading 43-38, Cox called for a double screen which the point guard used to perfection as she led her defender into the pick before stepping back and nailing a three-pointer.
The Hounds employed their half court trap defense and junior Laura Rowe intercepted the errant pass from the Mustangs. Lacking numbers on the break, Rowe pushed the ball up court anyway and finished through traffic to push the Eastern lead to double digits with six minutes remaining. The High Plains squad mounted a 13-8 run down the stretch to close the game out, earning them their first in-divisional win.
The result moves the Hounds to 10-3 overall record and a 4-3 LSC mark. Eastern will finish off its road trip this Saturday when it faces UT Permian Basin at 1 p.m.
