Mules kick ENMU men to the curb

WARRENSBURG, Mo. — Senior center Alonzo Brooks led four Central Missouri players in double figures with 24 points and the 17th-ranked Mules pulled away with a 14-0 run which spanned halftime on Saturday for a 92-65 victory over Eastern New Mexico University in the Central Missouri Classic.

Brooks went 11-of-14 from the field for Central Missouri (4-0), which shot 61 percent for the game. Guard Zack Wright added 16 points and nine rebounds, guard Wadale Williams had 13 points, nine assists and four steals and forward Darryl Sommerset chipped in 15 points and seven boards for the Mules (4-0).

Senior forward Mikal Monette and senior guard Tristan Largent led the Greyhounds (2-3) with 14 points apiece.

ENMU, which beat Tabor (Kan.) on Friday, led only briefly at 5-3 on a 3-pointer by senior guard Tristan Largent before Central Missouri took the lead for good with the next seven points.

Three-pointers by senior Aaron Rodriguez and junior Kevin Davis helped pull ENMU to 26-24 with less than five minutes left in the half. Then, leading 35-28, the Mules began their game-breaking run with two baskets by Wright in the final minute of the half.

Central Missouri then came out with the first 10 points of the second half for a 21-point margin with 17 minutes remaining. Brooks had a jump shot and a dunk and Wright added a basket and two free throws in the spurt.

The margin remained between 16 and 22 points for several minutes before the Mules ran off a 15-4 spurt for a 78-46 margin with seven minutes to go. ENMU’s only points in that stretch were baskets by Ira Cross and Justin Redman-Trotter.

The Mules dominated the boards 39-27 behind a lineup featuring five players between 6-foot-7 and 6-9. They also had 21 assists on their 35 baskets, compared with 10 for ENMU.

The Hounds return to action on Thursday with a 7:30 p.m. Lone Star Conference crossover game against Southwestern Oklahoma at Greyhound Arena. On Saturday, then entertain Cameron in a 4 p.m. tipoff.