Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
ENMU senior guard Alecia Whyte fingerrolls the ball toward the basket for two points during Saturday's Lone Star Conference women's matchup against St. Mary's at Greyhound Arena. The Rattlers handed the Greyhounds a 65-56 setback.
Senior guard/forward Jahcoree Ealy is off to a hot start this season, and as a result Eastern New Mexico University's men have made an early statement in the Lone Star Conference.
On Saturday, Ealy registered a personal-best 31 points, shooting 11-for-13 from the floor, and the Greyhounds posted their second triple-digit game of the weekend with a 101-82 blistering of St. Mary's at Greyhound Arena.
On Monday, the Conway, Ark., product was named the LSC men's offensive player of the week.
ENMU (4-2, 2-0 LSC was coming off a 103-70 thumping of St. Edward's on Thursday, and has now reached the century mark three times this season.
In women's action, the Rattlers dealt ENMU a 65-56 setback.
Ealy is currently tied with West Texas A&M's Larry Wise for the conference scoring lead (21.0 ppg), and is fourth in the league in shooting at just under 60 percent (47-of-79).
"When he gets a running start, he's almost impossible to stop without fouling him," ENMU men's coach Brent Owen said.
Only two others reached double digits for the Hounds, including 7-foot-3 freshman center Conrad Luczynski with his first double-double (13 points, 11 assists). Sophomore forward Blazej Czerniewicz added 10 points, while five others netted at least eight.
For the game, the Hounds shot 56 percent from the floor, including 9-of-17 from deep, and went 22-of-29 from the foul line. They also collected 27 assists, including eight for senior point guard Lyron Bennett and four for Ealy, and posted a 47-36 advantage on the boards over the Rattlers (4-2, 1-1), who came in as the LSC's top rebounding team.
"We are being really unselfish right now," Owen said. "That's a really good sign early on in the season."
After a seesaw start, the Hounds took the lead for good 18-17 on a layup by Luczynski off an Ealy feed with just over seven minutes left in the half. They carried a 42-29 margin into halftime and never let the Rattlers get closer than 12 the rest of the way.
St. Mary's put five players in double figures, but senior guard Edward Manuel's 12 points was enough to lead the team.
Women – St. Mary's picked up its first win of the campaign, finishing on a 14-5 run to break away from a tie with five minutes left.
The Rattlers (1-5, 1-1) held ENMU to 32 percent shooting from the field, including 4-of-24 on 3-pointers, and rode a personal-best 19 points from senior guard Teanna Huggins to the winner's circle. Powell shot 8-for-11 from the floor.
Senior guard Ariah Powell added 13 points, including a couple of 3-pointers. After going just 2-for-11 from the floor in the second period and trailing 28-22 at the half, the Rattlers netted 8-of-14 field attempts over each of the final two periods.
ENMU (4-4, 0-2) led 7-0 after four minutes, then erased a 13-10 deficit by holding St. Mary's without a field goal during a 15-3 run over the first seven minutes of the second segment.
St. Mary's regained the upper hand with a 9-0 surge late in the third period. The Rattlers led 50-43 before the Hounds went on an 8-1 charge to tie it with 5:04 left, but St. Mary's went back in front for good just eight seconds later on a layup by Huggins.
Senior forward/guard Deja Adrian led ENMU's effort with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, while senior guard Vanessa Oduah added 12 points off the bench. Senior guard Jamila Nansikombi-Gunter just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
ENMU squads hit the road this week for the first time in conference play, traveling to Texas-Tyler on Thursday before the men play at Dallas Baptist and the women take on Texas Woman's on Saturday.
