No. 6 Mustangs thump Hounds

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Senior guards Craig Green and Jason Ebie scored 22 and 20 points, respectively, and sixth-ranked Midwestern State dominated from the outset Saturday night in a 76-57 Lone Star Conference South Division men’s victory over Eastern New Mexico University.

The Mustangs, coming off a 10-point upset loss on Wednesday at West Texas A&M, took the lead on junior Charlie Logan’s tip-in on the game’s first possession and stayed in front the rest of the way. MSU (22-2, 7-2 South) led 71-40 with less than seven minutes left before the Greyhounds (8-15, 3-6) made the score more respectable by finishing the game on a 17-5 run.

Green went 6-for-12 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, while Ebie hit 3-of-4 from 3-point distance and 6-of-10 overall. The Mustangs shot 54 percent in building a 43-25 halftime lead and the Hounds never got closer than 17 points after that.

Ebie also had team highs of seven rebounds and five assists, while junior guard Chris Hagan chipped in 13 points and six assists.

ENMU had only one player in double figures — senior Equs Darby with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Darby finished with a double-double, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.

Midwestern State held ENMU’s top two scorers, Tyler Jefferson and Reggie Nelson, to a combined 0-for-12 from the field. The Hounds shot 29 percent from the floor and converted only 2-of-12 3-point shots.

Green’s 3-pointer gave MSU a 5-0 lead just over a minute into the game, and that margin grew to 15-3 with five minutes gone. ENMU managed to stay within 10 points midway through the half, but Green’s 3-pointer in the final minute gave the Mustangs a 43-25 lead at the break.

Darby’s 3-pointer in the first minute was the Hounds’ only field goal in the first five minutes of the half as the Mustangs opened their lead to 25 points. The lead didn’t dip under 20 points until Mitch Smith converted two free throws with 33 seconds left for the game’s final points.