Buffs overpower ENMU

PORTALES — The way Eastern New Mexico’s men have started their season, West Texas A&M coach Tom Brown said, is a perfect example of just how good the Lone Star Conference is from top to bottom.

“They’re going to get some Ws,” Brown said.

Just not Thursday, as last year’s NCAA Division II runner-up and this year’s No. 5-ranked team showed why it belonged at the top of the LSC with an 81-63 win in a non-conference matchup on Thursday night at Greyhound Arena.

The Buffs (9-1) hit 3-pointers on three of their first five possessions to establish a 9-2 cushion, then built on the lead and held off small Greyhound challenges to notch their fourth-straight victory since falling in a Nov. 18 non-conference tilt to Lubbock Christian. Meantime, the Hounds were coming off a win over then-No. 24 Oklahoma Baptist last weekend in WT’s Thanksgiving Classic.

Zach Toussaint scored 22 points to lead four players in double figures for the Buffs (9-1), who led by as many as 22 and held a double-figure advantage for the final 15 minutes.

Toussaint and Hayden Blankley, who had 21, established an efficient 1-2 punch with 43 points on 22 shots. Blankley was 7-of-9 beyond the arc and Toussaint hit all eight of his free throws.

“They can shoot it,” Brown said of the pair. “We moved the ball pretty well. I’m happy with Kevon (Booker, 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting) coming in off the bench; I thought he had a big night for us.

“I think Cameron Bell played pretty well. He had some really good minutes. He didn’t score too much, but he’s a gritty guy and played good defense. But Hayden and Zach really shot the ball well.”

The Greyhounds (3-4) had their highlights, with Brown noting good work early on high-ball screens, but struggled to score against a West Texas A&M squad full of talent despite last year’s top Division II guard duo transferring out — Qua Grant to Wichita State, Joel Murray to Long Beach State.

Despite ENMU’s balance on offense, with seven players recording five or more points, nobody could find a rhythm. James Jordan was ENMU’s only double-figure scorer, and needed 11 shots to post his 11 points.

“They’re obviously a very good program and played well tonight,” Eastern New Mexico coach Brent Owen said. “What I’m impressed with was how hard they’re playing on the defensive end. They’re getting after teams, holding teams to 39% (shooting).

“They held us to 38% (including 2-of-20 on 3-pointers). They’re playing really hard, and coach Brown does a really good job getting them ready to go.”

The Green and Silver strung a few runs together to bolster the crowd. A pressing defense led to a few quick steal-basket combos, and spots of zone defense created difficulty on the interior.

“Our guys continue to fight no matter what,” Owen said. “ I thought that showed through. Our fastball is man-to-man, but we’ve got to have a curveball and a changeup. Our curveball is kind of that 55 press, our changeup is the 2-3 zone. That will help us down the stretch, being able to play multiple defenses. Obviously, there are some things we have to get better at. It’s come in handy so far this year.”

The Greyhounds, who faced University of the Southwest on Saturday at Clovis’ Rock Staubus Gymnasium, play another non-league tilt against an LSC rival on Thursday at Western New Mexico. They then have a week off before their Dec. 16 Youth Day game against Champion Christian College.

The Buffs hosted Western New Mexico Saturday, and are off this week before hosting Champions Christian on Dec. 13.

“With this being our first season together, we’ve got a lot to learn,” Owen said. “I’m happy with where (the players) are mentally. They’re locked in, trying to get better. We’ve just got a lot of things we have to get better at.

“I’m happy with the guys on our team, I’m happy with our talent. I just need to a better job of getting them where they need to be.”