ENMU women cruise in Lone Star tournament opener

PORTALES — It was truly a Super Tuesday for the Eastern New Mexico University women’s basketball team.

Even with everything that transpired later in the Lone Star Conference tournament at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas this weekend, Tuesday was historic for the Eastern women’s program, which hosted a conference tournament opening-round game for the first time since 2004.

So, the atmosphere at Greyhound Arena Tuesday night was understandably electric, with an especially loud rooting section behind the far basket — including a guy with a fake jack o’ lantern on his head — as fifth-seeded Eastern hosted 12-seed Oklahoma Christian.

Best yet, the Greyhounds didn’t disappoint any of their home crowd, including the jack o’ lantern guy, as they transformed a tie game into a blowout and ultimately a 70-52 victory that propelled them into the LSC tournament’s subsequent rounds in Frisco this past weekend.

And it all started with Tuesday’s super night at Greyhound Arena.

“It was exciting; I mean, unbelievable atmosphere,” ENMU women’s head coach Josh Prock said. “It was so exciting for our girls, and it was a fun win. Our girls played really well.”

“At my previous four-year university we never made the playoffs, so this was my first playoff game,” said senior post Natalie DeLonge, who transferred last offseason to ENMU from Western Oregon University.

Eastern sophomore guard Zamorye Cox has experienced playing postseason games in Portales — as a Portales High basketball player. But Cox had never taken part in a collegiate playoff game at home until Tuesday.

“It was super-exciting,” Cox said. “We had a lot of fans come, and it made the environment fun to play in.”

Cox and DeLonge played especially well, standing out on an Eastern team that shot only 33 percent from the field, 16 percent from three-point range. DeLonge had a DeLightful outing, leading all scorers with 18 points and all rebounders with 12 boards. She also blocked a shot.

Cox added 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds, a block and a steal.

Junior post Alivia Lewis contributed 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal for the Greyhounds, who carried a 21-8 record into the weekend’s festivities in Frisco.

The day after Tuesday’s huge win, all three of the above Eastern players were named second-team All-LSC. Nice accolades, but winning postseason games is what the players strive for, and Tuesday night, they won a big one.

But, as the above ENMU shooting numbers indicate — along with the even-more-modest Oklahoma Christian numbers of 27 percent from the field, 22 percent from beyond the arc — Tuesday’s game was slow-going for both teams early on.

Especially for the Greyhounds, who were down 5-0 in the opening minutes of the first quarter before a short, straightaway Lewis jumper finally put them on the board with 3:45 already elapsed in the game.

Lewis’ basket was the start of a 6-0 Eastern run, culminating with a wide open Cox hoop from underneath that gave her team its first lead of the night as five minutes remained in the first quarter.

Thanks to both teams’ early offensive woes, only 25 total points were scored in the first period, and Oklahoma Christian was up 13-12 when the quarter ended.

“We were taking good shots,” Prock said. “We told the girls they were going to eventually start falling, they just had to keep taking them.”

During the second quarter’s opening minute, Greyhounds redshirt freshman guard Natalie Stice completed a three-point play from the foul line, and from then on Eastern was never behind again.

It was tied 16-all with plenty of time still left in the second quarter, before the Greyhounds went on a 10-0 run that put them in command. It began when senior post Jasmine Williams flipped in a bank shot to make it 18-16, and was followed on Eastern’s next possession by a straightaway jump shot from DeLonge.

ENMU still led by that modest 20-16 count with under three minutes remaining in the half, when sophomore post Kamirah Decker sank a mid-range jumper that stretched the Greyhounds’ lead to six.

With 1:50 to go before halftime, DeLonge hit from mid-range to make it a 24-16 game, and on Oklahoma Christian’s ensuing possession, Cox came up with a steal, drove downcourt and sent a slick dish to her right, finding redshirt sophomore teammate Jena Mehlbrech, who laid the ball up and in.

Mehlbrech’s hoop stretched Eastern’s lead to 26-16, making it a double-digit affair for the first time.

Katie Mayo finally ended Oklahoma Christian’s drought with a jumper as 1:10 remained in the second quarter, but Eastern scored the last basket before halftime, on a DeLonge putback just seconds before the buzzer, allowing her team to carry a 28-18 lead into the break.

Eastern scored the first five points of the new half — on a right-baseline jumper by DeLonge and a left-arc trey by Cox — boosting the Greyhounds’ lead to 33-18. And they kept surging from there, building a 46-23 advantage by late in the third quarter.

Though Oklahoma Christian scored the quarter’s last five points and cut the difference to 18, Eastern began the fourth period on a 7-0 run. First, a Stice steal created a possession that ended with a DeLonge jumper and made it a 48-28 game. And on ENMU’s next possession, Cox buried another left-arc trey to put the Greyhounds up by 23.

After an Oklahoma Christian offensive foul on the other end, a DeLonge turnaround pushed Eastern’s lead to 53-28, and the Greyhounds stayed far ahead throughout the game’s remainder.

When it was over, ENMU had not only outscored the Lady Eagles by 18, but had outrebounded them 68-35. Quite an overwhelming stat that helped end OCU’s season with an 8-19 record.

By contrast it’s been a winning season for Eastern, a highly successful one, which is thanks to its mix of players and how they mesh.

“I think it’s the versatility of the team,” DeLonge said. “We have multiple players that can score or really defend, play lock-down defense. So I think the fact that it’s not just one or two players contributing, that it’s a whole team, really helps us.”

“Confidence, I think,” Cox said. “We’ve had different line-ups. ... Everybody’s been good, everybody’s working together.”