Mavericks pull away late, oust ENMU from tourney

CANYON, Texas – Unfortunately, it wasn't Eastern New Mexico University's day on Saturday.

Playing in the NCAA Division II men's basketball regionals for the first time in 20 years, the Greyhounds held a six-point lead heading into the late stages of the half. But third-seeded Colorado Mesa and standout 6-foot-9 junior forward Trevor Baskin were too much in the end, and the Mavericks pulled away late for a 95-77 victory.

Baskin, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's player of the year, lived up to the billing with 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting and 13 rebounds.

"I feel great about our group," said Mavericks coach Mike DeGeorge, whose squad doesn't have any seniors. "These guys have been through these battles."

On Sunday, Mesa advanced to tonight's 6 p.m. (MDT) championship game against top-seeded host West Texas A&M (28-4) with a 95-90 victory over second-seeded RMAC rival Fort Lewis.

While Mesa made seven 3-pointers in the first half, it went 12-for-17 from inside the arc in constructing a 46-42 advantage. The Mavericks shot 61 percent from 2-point range for the game, while the Greyhounds (22-10) finished at 38 percent overall after making only 8-of-30 field goals over the final 20 minutes.

"They played hard," ENMU coach Brent Owen said of the Mavericks. "They're a well-coached, tough group. We didn't defend our best, and we didn't shoot our best."

Junior guard Isaac Jessup added 17 points for Mesa, junior guard/forward Owen Koonce pitched in 14 and junior guard Christopher Speller finished with 13 points, nine assists and five caroms.

Senior guard Greg Johnson led the the sixth-seeded Hounds, coming off the program's first Lone Star Conference tournament championship in 31 years, with 22 points. Senior guard/forward Jahcoree Ealy had 16 and junior guard Tre'Von Love scored 12.

Johnson, one of four seniors on the ENMU roster, said he believes he's leaving the program in good shape.

"I think me and Jahcoree kind of set the tone for the team when we got here (last season)," Johnson said. "But my performance today was mediocre. It wasn't enough to get the job done.

"Last year we were picked for 15th (in the LSC) and this year we were picked for eighth, which was kind of disrespectful. We did what a lot of people didn't think we could do."

The teams went back and forth in a tight 10 minutes at the start. Then a basket by Ealy and a 3-pointer and a 2-point shot by senior guard Lyron Bennett stakes ENMU to a 30-24 advantage with under eight minutes left in the half.

Mesa, though, promptly went on a 14-4 blitz, taking the lead for good on back-to-back 3s during the run by Jessup.

"Even though we take a lot of 3s, we always go through the post first," DeGeorge said. "When we had the advantage inside, we took it; when we didn't, we kicked it out (to the perimeter)."

Down 46-42 at the half, the Hounds went nearly 4 ½ minutes without a field goal when play resumed and the Mavericks opened a 12-point lead. ENMU used the free throw line to hang tough, though, and got within three points on three occasions – the last at 76-73 with 6 ½ minutes left.

On their next possession, Johnson hoisted a 3 for a potential tie, but it was off the mark and Mesa went on to outscore the Hounds 19-4 down the stretch. ENMU's lone field goal during that time was a driving layup by Ealy with a minute to go.

"It was a battle of wills," Baskin said. "We knew they were going to make a run, but we just had that confidence that we needed down the stretch."

Owen said the Hounds are certainly headed in the right direction.

"I couldn't be more proud of this group of young men," he said. "I think we really came together during February, and that's why we had some success in the tournament.

"This group has really turned this program around."