ENMU women go 2-0 in region crossover event

DURANGO, Colo. – Eastern New Mexico University’s women completed a two-game sweep of a South Central Region crossover event with a 67-48 victory over host Fort Lewis on Saturday night.

Meantime, after losing to the 22nd-ranked Skyhawks on Friday night, the men bounced back with a 94-82 victory over New Mexico Highland in Saturday’s outing. All four teams on the men’s side finished 1-1 after Highlands beat Angelo State on Friday and the Rams came back to top Fort Lewis on Saturday night.

ENMU’s women will be in Weatherford, Okla., on Thursday for a 4:30 p.m. (MST) tipoff against Southwestern Oklahoma. The men host Navajo Tech at noon on Thursday to begin a six-game homestand.

Women – The Greyhounds dominated the first (17-9) and third (24-9) quarters against the Skyhawks to take control of the matchup.

Freshman forward Kaitlyn Edmondson led the way with 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, going 7-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line. Sophomore guard Jaz Salon chipped in three 3s and 13 points while sophomore forward Julieta Ceja had 10 points and seven caroms.

ENMU used a 10-0 run in the opening stanza for a 13-3 advantage, keyed by consecutive 3-pointers from sophomore guard Tatiana Platonova, a native of Moscow, Russia and a transfer from Wichita State. Fort Lewis (1-1) rallied to take the lead in the second stanza before a driving layup by Ceja in the closing seconds restored a 31-30 edge for the Hounds at the break.

When play resumed, ENMU hit the Skyhawks with a 17-5 run to start the third and their margin was never under double figures the rest of the way. Another 12-4 blitz opened a 24-point cushion in the closing moments.

The Hounds have won six in a row from the Skyhawks, and now lead the all-time series 18-12.

Junior guard Deniece Ryan led Fort Lewis with 10 points.

Men – After scoring only 55 points in Friday’s opening loss to 22nd-ranked Fort Lewis, the Hounds hit the Cowboys with a 7-0 start and eventually built that to 25-10 midway through the half in leading the game wire-to-wire.

Highlands used six 3-pointers to cut the margin to 42-37 at halftime, and the Cowboys got within one with 12 ½ minutes left before ENMU slowly pulled away.

“How we came out,” first-year ENMU coach Daven Vos said about the turnaround. “We had a choice to sulk and act like we were hurting, or to respond and fight.”

Senior forward Mario Whitley led three Hounds in double figures with a personal-best 24 points, shooting 11-of-16 from the field, and added 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double at ENMU.

Junior guard/forward Treyvon Byrd chipped in 19 points, including 9-for-10 from the foul line, and added eight rebounds while junior forward Jose Murillo delivered 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and collected eight rebounds.

ENMU managed only 4-of-14 from distance, but shot 53 percent overall (33-of-62) and converted 24-of-32 free throws. The Hounds limited the Cowboys, who got 37 points off their bench, to 36 percent (25-of-69) and owned a 46-32 advantage on the glass.

Senior guard Kyrie Thomas led four Cowboys in double figures with 17 points. ENMU now leads the all-time series 72-40.