Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | 2/1/2020 4:46:00 PM | Zac Alfers
Women’s Basketball Earns Fourth Consecutive Victory With Win Over Western New Mexico
Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball (14-5, 9-5 LSC) pushed its winning streak to four consecutive games with an 83-53 victory over Western New Mexico Saturday afternoon.
Stellar defense combined with outstanding three-point shooting allowed for the Hounds to dominate in every facet of the game. Eastern swiped 14 steals and forced the Mustangs into committing 22 turnovers which the Hounds efficiently converted into 34 points. The Green and Silver shot the basketball well right from the opening tip, especially from beyond the arch as they connected on 11-for-21 of their long-range attempts for a 52.5 percent shooting clip.
Sophomore Zamorye Cox lit it up from three-point range while senior Natalie DeLonge established herself in the paint as each recorded 17 points apiece. Cox buried all five of her three-point attempts while DeLonge did most of her damage from the post as she went 7-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Junior Alivia Lewis added ten points and also recorded team-highs in rebounds (six), steals (three) and blocks (two). The High Plains squad used unselfish play and excellent ball movement and finished with assists on 18 of the team’s 31 field goal attempts. Redshirt sophomore Jena Mehlbrech tallied a game-high four assists to go along with six points and a pair of steals.
The Mustangs were able to gain the first possession following the tip but five seconds into the game Cox, the Lone Star Conference steals leader, swiped the ball away from the opposing point guard before knocking down a contested three-pointer on the other end.
Leading by ten after the first quarter, the Hounds went on an absolute tear to begin the second as they rattled off 16 unanswered points and took control of the game. DeLonge did not miss a shot in the first half as she paced the Hounds with 14 points with six field goals and a pair of free throws. DeLonge streaky shooting spread to the rest of the team as the Hounds shot 57.6 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from deep in the first two quarters of play to establish a 50-26 advantage before halftime.
The two teams traded buckets early in the third quarter before the Hounds locked down defensively and prevented the Mustangs from scoring for a six-minute stretch. Eastern would push their lead to as much as 38 points midway through the fourth and at that point the Greyhounds reserve entered the game to finish off the contest.
The Greyhounds will look to maintain their momentum next week as they prepare for one of their most difficult road trips of the season. The Green and Silver will travel to Angelo State on Thursday before facing off against Lubbock Christian on Saturday as Eastern will look to catapult past its in-divisional rivals in the conference standings.
