Hounds tie school 3-point mark in 98-82 win

ABILENE, Texas — Junior guard Stefan Mirabal led a 3-point barrage, hitting 8-of-12 and finishing with 28 points, and Eastern New Mexico University’s men snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 98-82 Lone Star Conference South Division victory over Abilene Christian.

The Greyhounds (8-10, 3-3 South) tied a school record with 17 3-pointers, going 17-for-26 for the game. They had previously done that on Jan. 6, 1996, in a 105-93 win at Central Oklahoma.

Mirabal shot 9-of-15 from the field en route to a season scoring high. Senior forward Tyler Jefferson added a career-best 26 points, including 14-of-15 free throws, to go with nine rebounds and four assists.

Junior forward Max Carrier shot 7-of-8 from the field and added 15 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in the second half, while senior guard-forward Victor Reid chipped in 13 points off the bench, going 4-for-5 from long distance.

Junior guard Zach Williams led the Wildcats (8-10, 0-6) with 254 points, while senior guard Preston Davis added 11 points and seven assists and junior guard Desmond Woodberry scored 10 points.

The Hounds knocked down 11-of-16 3-pointers in the opening half in building a 44-33 advantage. ACU pulled to within seven with the first four points of the second half, but Mirabal’s 3-pointer started a 14-0 ENMU run for a 58-37 lead with 15 minutes to go.

Carrier scored three consecutive baskets during the run, and guard Versia Hodges capped it with a 3-pointer.

Still down 68-49 with 12 minutes left, the Wildcats took off on a 19-1 surge over the next four minutes, closing to 69-68 on a layup by Woodbury with 7:48 to go. Jefferson countered with a 3-point play and the Hounds never relinquished the lead, although it stayed close until the final four minutes.

Reid’s 3-pointer put ENMU in front 81-75, and Jefferson followed with a pair of free throws. A 3-pointer by Mirabal made it 86-77 with 3:40 to go and the Hounds continued to pull away down the stretch.

Williams’ 3-pointer made it 92-82 with 1:46 left, but the Wildcats didn’t score again. Mirabal added two free throws and Jefferson four for the final margin.

ENMU shot 55 percent for the game on 31-of-56, and also converted 19-of-23 free throws. Meantime, the Hounds held ACU to 39 percent field goal shooting and 7-of-19 from 3-point range.