ENMU women top Highlands while men drop pair

PORTALES — Results were mixed over the weekend as Eastern New Mexico University’s basketball teams opened the 2021-22 season in the LSC/RMAC Conference Challenge.

ENMU’s women won both of their contests at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, while the men dropped a pair of hard-fought decisions at The Pit on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Both teams have new coaches this season — Meghan De los Reyes for the women, Brent Owen for the men.

The women, who thumped Fort Lewis 76-57 on Friday, followed that one up by topping New Mexico Highlands 56-51 on Saturday. At The Pit, the men dropped a 96-92 decision to Fort Lewis on Saturday and were beaten 97-87 by Highlands on Sunday.

Against Highlands, sophomore guard Natalie Stice posted her first career double-double for ENMU’s women with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The Greyhounds saw an 18-7 first-quarter lead turn into a one-point halftime deficit. Then, trailing 45-40 early in the final stanza, they went on a 12-0 run sparked by five points from senior guard Anasha Hurst, including a 3-pointer, before Stice helped seal the win by going 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final minute.

Junior post Kamirah Decker added 12 points and eight caroms for ENMU, while Hurst added a career-best-tying 10 tallies.

Freshman forward Aja Scott notched 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and sophomore guard Maiah Rivas chipped in 12 for the Cowgirls. ENMU shot just 34 percent from the field, but limited Highlands to 29 percent (18-of-62).

The Hounds are in Colorado this week to meet two more Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams. They take on Regis tonight in Denver, then move on to face Colorado School of Mines on Thursday.

After that, their next outing is the home opener, a non-league tilt against Lone Star Conference rival West Texas A&M and former ENMU coach Josh Prock on Dec. 2 at Greyhound Arena.

Men

Fort Lewis 96, ENMU 92 — At The Pit, the Skyhawks led most of the way but could never get away from the Hounds, who went in front 79-78 on a 3-pointer by junior guard Cornell Greenwood with 4:11 left. Fort Lewis quickly regained the lead, though, and managed to hold on down the stretch.

Five players, including two off the bench, scored in double figures for the Skyhawks, led by senior forward Riley Farris with 31 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 10-of-11 free throws. Fort Lewis won the game at the line, going 31-of-37 while the Greyhounds, who had nine more field goals, finished 8-of-12.

ENMU also had five players in double digits, and two off the bench. Junior guard James Jordan led the way with 18 points.

Junior forward-center Brenden Boatwright, a Carlsbad High grad, started and played 17 minutes for the Skyhawks. He finished with seven points and six rebounds.

Fort Lewis, which lost on Sunday to Angelo State, improved to 8-1 all-time against ENMU. The Hounds’ only victory in the series came on Nov. 11, 2017 — ironically, at The Pit — when Lamarquis Thompson’s 3-pointer just before the final buzzer gave them a season-opening 73-72 win over the 16th-ranked Skyhawks.

Highlands 97, ENMU 87 — Senior guard/forward Jose Serrano went 9-for-12 from the field, including 5-of-7 from long range, but his 24 points were not enough for the Hounds to avert a second defeat.

Highlands (1-1) led most of the way after several early ties. ENMU knocked down four 3-pointers, including three by Serrano, in the first five minutes of the second half to pare a nine-point deficit to three, but the Hounds couldn’t get any closer.

Six-foot-6 sophomore guard Adam Hess added 20 points and 5-for-8 3-point shooting for ENMU, while freshman guard Kentrell Pullian chipped in 15.

For the game, the Hounds were 14-of-25 from long range while Highlands went 14-of-23, with senior guards Desmond Carpenter and Ja’Vary Christmas scoring 33 and 24, respectively, for the Cowboys. They combined to shoot 20-for-28 from the floor and 12-of-16 on 3-pointers.

ENMU is slated to host Northern New Mexico in its home opener at 6 p.m. on Friday in Greyhound Arena.