ENMU women edge Mustangs

Early on, it looked like Eastern New Mexico University's women were headed for a second consecutive Lone Star Conference home loss.

Trailing 19-8 at the quarter after committing eight turnovers, the Greyhounds closed to within a point by halftime and the game seesawed the rest of the way before senior forward Ishauna Hunter banked in the game-winner as time expired for a 56-54 win over Midwestern State on Sunday at Steve Loy Arena.

Freshman guard/forward Kirbie Cash went into traffic to score with 36 seconds left to give MSU (4-9. 2-5 LSC) its final lead at 54-53.

Hunter split two free throws with 26 seconds left to tie it. A late MSU 3-pointer was off the mark and went out-of-bounds to the Hounds with 0.5 seconds remaining.

ENMU (11-2, 6-1) then used a timeout to advance the ball to midcourt, and sophomore guard Tatiana Platonova's inbounds lob pass found Hunter on the block. She turned and banked it in to give her team scoring honors with 15 points.

Senior guard Jayla Smith added 14 points and 14 rebounds for ENMU, her second double-double of the season. Senior forward Zarria Carter had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists for MSU, while Cash added her fourth double-double of the campaign with 17 points and 10 boards.

The game featured seven ties and 15 lead changes.

ENMU goes on the road this week, traveling to Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday night and to Angelo State on Saturday afternoon.

Lubbock Christian 59, ENMU 53 (Friday) – Sophomore forward Grace Foster, the defending LSC player of the year, hit a key 3-point basket and then came up with a block in the final 20 seconds as the 20th-ranked Lady Chaps pulled out a close one to end ENMU's eight-game winning streak and had the Hounds their first home loss in seven outings.

Foster notched her fifth double-double of the campaign with 17 points and 11 rebounds while junior guard Maci Maddox tacked on 14 points and sophomore guard Kennedy Chappell tossed in 10. LCU (12-3, 6-1 LSC), which won at West Texas A&M on Sunday, turned 14 offensive rebounds into 17 points in Friday's tilt.

Hunter led all scorers with 20 points while adding eight rebounds and three steals. Sophomore forward Julieta Ceta posted her second double-double of the campaign with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

After a slow start, Maddox went 4-for-4 from the field to give LCU a 14-8 lead at the quarter.

Down 30-21 after a Maddox basket to start the second half, the Hounds responded with a 10-0 run in less than three minutes to take the lead and held a 40-38 advantage at quarter's end.

Ceja's 3-point play 12 seconds into the final segment made it a five-point margin, but the Hounds went scoreless for four minutes and the Lady Chaps inched their way into a 46-43 advantage.

Hunter's 3-point play put the Hounds back in front 49-48 with 3:18 left, but Foster gave LCU the lead for good with two free throws on the next trip down. Her 3 with 20 seconds to go made it 57-53, and Chappell's two free throws with 13 seconds to go iced it.