ENMU men ride balanced effort to first victory

GUNNISON, Colo. — Senior guard John Gilliam scored 23 points and Eastern New Mexico University’s bench put three more players in double digits in outscoring Colorado Mesa’s reserves 48-15 on Saturday as the Greyhounds rallied in the second half for an 89-85 win over the Mavericks in the Comfort Inn Classic, hosted by Western State.

Gilliam, coming off a 31-point in Friday’s four-point loss to the host school, went 4-of-6 from 3-point range as the Hounds (1-3) overcame a 47-40 halftime deficit. ENMU outscored the Mavericks 30-14 over the first 11 minutes of the second half to build a nine-point lead and held on down the stretch.

Junior forward Stephon Edwards added 16 points while junior guard Javandon Staves and sophomore guard Javaan Mumtaz chipped in 13 apiece for ENMU. Staves went 4-for-5 from 3-point range while Mumtaz added three baskets from beyond the arc.

Ryan Stephan led four players in double figures for Mesa (2-2) with 25 points, and he also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

ENMU managed only a pair of ties at 10-10 and 20-20 in the first half. The Mavericks took control with a 6-0 run that included two baskets by Stephan and Tanner Riley’s 3 in the closing seconds kept them in command.

The Hounds tied the score 57-57 on a 3-pointer by Mumtaz with 14 1/2 minutes left, and took their first lead on Staves’ trifecta on their next trip down the court.

Mesa eventually pulled even 79-79 on two free throws by Elmer Lopez with 2:01 left, but 6-foot-7 junior forward Chaunce Hill converted a steal into a dunk with 43 seconds to go and the Hounds sealed it by going 6-for-6 from the line in the remaining time, including four by Gilliam.

Kabir West added 18 points, C.J. Davis scored 12 and reserve Nate Hawley added 10 for the Mavericks.

The Hounds travel to Canyon, Texas, for West Texas A&M’s Pak-A-Sak Thanksgiving Classic. They face Emporia State in a 6:30 p.m. (MST) tipoff on Friday.