ENMU women claim 11th seed

PORTALES - Eastern New Mexico University's women had already clinched a spot in this week's Lone Star Conference tournament prior to Saturday's matchup against rival Western New Mexico at Greyhound Arena.

Still, the Greyhounds wanted to make sure they were the 11th seed, and didn't drop to 12th in the 12-team event. They did so with a blistering start en route to a 66-43 thumping of the Mustangs.

Then the news, in theory, got better.

Their first-round opponent was slated to be one of the eight teams which had been fighting for the league crown most of the season. They drew sixth-seeded Cameron (16-10, 11-5 LSC), a team they lost to on the road 73-72 on Feb. 10, in Tuesday's first-round tilt at Lawton, Okla.

"We lost by one point the last time, so we'll be ready," said forward MeMe Amand, one of four ENMU seniors honored at the final home tilt of the campaign. "They're a really good team, but we're excited to see them again."

Amand, who transferred to ENMU this season from Louisiana Tech, has battled injuries almost the entire campaign. She hurt her left knee in an early-season clash with Colorado School of Mines, then injured her right ankle at Angelo State in early February, but on Saturday she was one of three Hounds in double digits with 10 points to go with six rebounds.

Senior guard Iyanna McCurdy posted her eighth double-double of the year with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and also led the team with four assists. Sophomore guard Natalie Stice went 3-for-5 from distance, finishing with 15 points and seven caroms.

ENMU (10-13, 6-10), which won at Western 55-49 in a December non-league match, led 12-0 and 19-2 early and never let the Mustangs (6-17, 2-13) get closer than 11 the rest of the way. In fact, the Hounds had WNMU doubled or more for much of the first three quarters.

"We thought they would come out and play a lot of pressure," Amand said of the early domination. "I didn't expect that at all."

After shooting 54 percent with three 3-pointers in the opening stanza, the Hounds settled in at 32 percent for the game (22-of-69). It mattered little, though, as their lead stayed comfortable.

"It helps to make shots," first-year ENMU coach Meghan De los Reyes said. "I think if we can play a fast-paced game, it's to our benefit."

Sophomore post Olivia Lee led the Mustangs (6-17, 2-13) with a double-double - 11 points, 11 boards.

De los Reyes also thought the Hounds may have gotten a good first-round draw against the Aggies.

"We took them to the wire," she said. "We know it's a great team, but it's a team we can compete with."

ENMU men 87, Western New Mexico 64 - The Hounds (7-17, 3-11) snapped their 11-game losing streak and escaped the league cellar when Cameron (5-18, 3-13) lost at home to Texas A&M-Kingsville 87-62.

ENMU limited the Mustangs (11-14, 4-11) to 30 percent shooting, including 22 percent in the opening half when the Hounds built a 38-24 cushion.

Junior guard JaQuan Morris, who recently returned after missing several games with an injury, led five Hounds in double figures with 16 points off the bench. Freshman guard Niko Bossinakis, also coming off the bench, and senior forward Marvin Mapaga added 14 points apiece while senior forward Yosnier Cobas scored 13 and senior guard Garrick Sherrod 12.

Mapaga and Cobas led ENMU's 47-39 domination of the glass with nine rebounds each, while freshman guard Kentrell Pullian finished with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists. The Hounds were 13-of-29 from distance, including 4-of-4 for Bossinakis, 4-of-7 for Morris and 3-of-7 for Pullian.

ENMU opened a 23-point lead midway through the second half before the Mustangs countered with a 10-0 surge. After a timeout, Bossinakis knocked down a 3 and the Hounds eventually finished off the game on a 12-4 run over the final four-plus minutes.

Junior guard Tony Avalos paced Western with 16 points, senior guard/forward Jordan Doss added 12 and junior forward Olamide Pedersen had 10.

Both ENMU squads ended up with winning records at home, the men going 6-5 and the women 5-4.