2/26/2022 | Women’s Basketball | Box Score

PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball put a lid on the regular season with a 66-43 win over Western New Mexico University, on Senior Day, on Saturday afternoon at Greyhound Arena. The Hounds finish the regular season at 10-13, 6-10 in LSC, and have qualified for the 2022 LSC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. Western end its season at 6-16, with a 2-12 record in conference play.

The Hounds set the tone from the start of the game. ENMU began the first 7:07 of the first frame on a 19-2 run. The streak started after back to back threes from Laura Rowe and Natalie Stice. Anasha Hurst and Julia Chavez got in on the action with layups, while Iyanna McCurdy accounted for five points in the opening run. WNMU tallied six more points before the break, but Eastern led 22-8 after the first 10 minutes.

ENMU continued to score in the second frame, but turned up defensively holding the Mustangs to very little scoring in the second period. The first five minutes of the period saw both teams go back and forth, 27-16 ENMU. The Hounds pulled away with a 10-3 run over the final five minutes of action. Seven points came from Stice as the half closed with ENMU up 20 points on the Mustangs, 39-19.

Eastern didn’t skip a beat in the third quarter, opening the frame with a 9-2 streak with McCurdy providing the opening five points, 48-21 ENMU. The Greyhounds slowly worked their way through the rest of the period. The Hounds took a 53-30 advantage into the final quarter.

WNMU didn’t quit at the start of the fourth period, starting a 10-4 run in the opening 4:21 of the quarter. However, the Hounds bounced back with a 9-3 streak to end the game. Eastern took home a win in its final home game of the season, 66-43, over Western New Mexico.

NOTABLE STATS

  • ENMU posted a shooting percentage of 31.9 % (22-69) from the field, 28.0% (7-25) from behind the arc, and 71.4% (15-21) at the free throw line. WNMU displayed a 28.8% field goal percentage, 11.8% from range, and 63.6% from the foul line.
  • Eastern bested the Mustangs in second chance points, 12-6, and points on the fast break, 15-4.
  • McCurdy recorded a double-double during the contest, 16 points and 11 rebounds, leading the team in both. Stice chipped in with 15 points, while MeMe Amand tallied 10 points. Hurst added nine points on the game, and Rowe and Chavez each contributed seven points.
  • Stice collected seven rebounds overall, with Amand grabbing six boards.
  • Stice and Hurst poked away two steals, while Amand and Stice each registered a block.

FROM THE SOURCE

“Our seniors have given so much to this program and each one left it all out there for their last game in Greyhound Arena, scoring an impressive 42 points and collecting 24 rebounds between the four of them” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Meghan De los Reyes. “We had an amazing crowd here to honor and support Iyanna, Anasha, MeMe, and Laura, who will be incredibly missed both on and off the floor as these young ladies have such passion, drive, and talent” said De los Reyes. “We feel extremely blessed to have earned the right to continue our season together, starting with Tuesday night against Cameron”.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

  • McCurdy posted their eighth double-double of the season, and connected on their first three pointer of the season.
  • 23 points is the largest margin of victory for Eastern this season.
  • The Greyhounds have bested the Mustangs 11 times in their last 12 meetings, currently on a six-game win streak versus WNMU. Eastern hold the all-time series against 26-6.
  • ENMU Women’s Basketball honored Hurst, McCurdy, Rowe, and Amand prior to the game as part of senior day ceremonies.
  • Eastern New Mexico have secured the No.11 seed in the 2022 LSC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The Hounds are matched up with No.6 seed Cameron University, as the two teams will face off on Tuesday, Mar. 1, in Lawton, Okla. A start time is still TBD.