Tarleton State routs Greyhounds

It took Tarleton State just 19 seconds to take the lead Wednesday night at Greyhound Arena, and the Texans did more than enough in the first half to make sure they’d never give it up.

E.J. Reed scored 16 to lead four Texans in double figures, as Tarleton jumped out to an 11-0 lead to open the game and a 46-17 advantage at the half en route to an 83-53 rout of Eastern New Mexico.

The Greyhounds finally got on the scoreboard 4:38 in, when Lawrence Domingo got his first of five field goals. Domingo would be the only ENMU player in double figures, and finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

ENMU guard Ladarius Stewart is bumped by Tarleton State defender Charles Hill on a layup attempt after Stewart got the steal in Wednesday’s Lone Star Conference game at Greyhound Arena. Stewart, who scored four points on the night, missed both of the ensuing free throws. Tarleton State won 83-53.

Just like its previous loss to Midwestern State, ENMU (6-18, 2-10) had trouble preventing a 3-point barrage as Tarleton went 9-14 (64 percent) from beyond the arc in the first half and finished the game 14-26 (54 percent) from distance.

The first half was a disaster for ENMU, which shot just 20 percent from the field, 1-of-10 from 3-point land and 4-of-11 from the line.

Michael Hardge, Romond Jenkins and Chantz Chambers each added 12 for the Texans, and with Reed nearly outscored the entire Greyhound squad with 52 points on 17-of-32 shooting and 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.

“I think we shot the ball well tonight and I think that’s why we got off to a great start,” Tarleton State coach Lonn Reisman said. “We played better tonight then we’ve been playing so I’m happy.”

Still, ENMU didn’t simply lay over. While they trailed by as many as 35 points in the second half, the Hounds did stage a comeback attempt cutting the lead to 66-44 with about nine minutes remaining. However, the Texans had back-to-back dunks which ended any hopes of a Greyhound victory.

“We didn’t make a whole lot of shots in either half,” ENMU coach Stott Carter said. “But defensively our effort, intensity and rebounding was night and day different. That’s something we have to have throughout the game. It comes down to me having the guys ready and doing all the little things.”

The Greyhounds will face Texas A&M Commerce on the road Saturday, then have a week off before hosting West Texas A&M to close out the LSC regular season.