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Thompson 3-pointer gives Hounds opening win over Fort Lewis

ALBUQUERQUE — The bank was open on Saturday for Lamarquis Thompson, even on Veterans Day.

The Eastern New Mexico senior scored 23 points, none bigger than his 3-pointer off the glass with :01 left to give Eastern New Mexico a 73-72 win Saturday over No. 16 Fort Lewis in the RMAC-LSC Challenge opener at The Pit.

Thompson also had a game-high 13 rebounds while leading three in double figures for the Greyhounds, who return to Bob King Court 5 p.m. Sunday to face New Mexico Highlands.

Jamani Pierce had 12 points and nine rebounds, while guard Devin Pullum had 10 points.

“In a game like that, against such a highly ranked opponent who finished the season deep in the national tournament is a big win for our program," ENMU coach Tres Segler said in a school release. “You have to respect how good a program Fort Lewis is. They have an unbelievable offensive coach and he has his guys ready to take advantage of your mistakes. Every time we go head-to-head with them, I've been blown away by what to do. Rasmus Bach is an unbelievable talent and Marquel Beasley gave us fits.

“I was really proud of how we competed together as a family. We made a lot of unselfish plays and as a result, we got some high-quality looks, especially in the second half.”

The Greyhounds statistically shot worse in the second half — 11-of-31 after halftime versus 13-of-34 before it — but were better at picking their spots as the game went on. They attempted only four 3-pointers in the second half, with Thompson’s game-winner the second make, and shot 20 of their 28 free throws in the final 20 minutes.

The Greyhounds won the rebounding battle 44-41, with 10 of the 11 players who logged minutes grabbing at least one.

Beasley posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Bach had 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

Fort Lewis had whittled away a 13-point Greyhound lead from the first half, and the lead changed six times in the final four minutes. The Skyhawks took their final lead with 41 seconds to play on a pair of Bach free throws.

Pierce missed a game-tying jumper with 19 seconds left, but Fort Lewis turned it right back over after the defensive rebound to give Thompson the final chance.

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