Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ENMU junior Kamirah Decker tries to work her way around two Texas Woman's defenders during Thursday's Lone Star Conference women's matchup at Greyhound Arena. Decker finished with 13 points and six rebounds, but the Pioneers claimed a 63-57 victory.
PORTALES - Junior guard Brielle Woods scored a season-best 18 points and Texas Woman's recovered in the closing moments after losing a double-digit lead to edge Eastern New Mexico University 63-57 on Thursday night in Lone Star Conference women's basketball at Greyhound Arena.
The Pioneers (14-5, 7-1 LSC) won their fourth game in a row and moved into a share of the top spot in league standings with Cameron, which had its game against West Texas A&M postponed on Thursday night. All in all, eight teams are within a game of the lead in the tightly-bunched LSC standings, and defending national champion Lubbock Christian looms in seventh place despite an 8-3 conference mark.
Freshman forward Ashley Ingram had 17 points for TWU, while junior guard Sadie Moyer scored 12 points and junior guard Keslyn King added 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
ENMU, which struggled through a 2-for-18 night from 3-point range, got both 3s and 18 points from sophomore guard Natalie Stice, while junior post Kamirah Decker added 13 points. Senior guard Iyanna McCurdy collected her fifth double-double of the season and third in a row with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Both teams struggled to find the range from the field until late. Trailing 32-20 late in the half, the Greyhounds (8-8, 4-6) closed the margin to four points after three quarters and took a 48-47 lead with 4:48 to go on a free throw by Decker.
Suddenly, the Pioneers warmed up again, scoring the next eight points for a lead they would not relinquish.
King got the first two baskets for a 51-48 lead. She was fouled on the second one and missed the free throw, but Moyer secured the rebound and Woods eventually scored inside for a five-point lead, and Moyer added a pair of free throws on the next trip.
Texas Woman's also struggled from distance, going 4-for-19, but the Pioneers took advantage of the free throw line, converting 13-of-20 charity shots to just 7-of-13 for ENMU.
ENMU was slated to play at home again on Saturday against Midwestern State. Monday night, the Hounds host Oklahoma Christian in a 5 p.m. makeup of a Jan. 6 postponement.
