3-point barrage gives Hounds third win in four tries

PORTALES — Something got into the Eastern New Mexico University men’s basketball team on Saturday.

For long stretches of the game, the Greyhounds simply couldn’t miss. They took the lead for good midway through the first half and, behind 53 percent floor shooting that included a stunning 15-of-22 from long range, subdued Oklahoma Christian 81-66 at Greyhound Arena for their third victory in four games following an 0-6 start.

Junior guard Ibn Zaid led three players in double figures for ENMU (3-7, 3-2 Lone Star Conference) with 17 points, while junior guards Devin Pullum and Brandon Meadows each added 12 points. Zaid and Meadows were both 4-for-4 from 3-point distance, and Pullum finished 4-of-7.

Meadows also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for the Hounds.

Meantime, the Eagles (3-6, 2-3) shot 42 percent from the floor, including a dismal 3-of-22 from beyond the arc.

Zaid’s second 3-pointer of the game put ENMU in front for good 16-15 with 10 1/2 minutes left in the half, and the Hounds pulled into the intermission with a 38-29 cushion after going 9-of-12 from long range. They maintained a double-digit margin over the final 17 1/2 minutes, and led by as much as 24 points near the end.

Their hot shooting — they also went 14-for-16 from the free throw line as a team — allowed them to easily withstand 23 turnovers. In addition, all 12 ENMU players who saw action scored.

For OCU, senior forward Dedrian Palmer Jr. scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior guard Anthony Johnson added 11 points for Oklahoma Christian, and senior guard Aubrey Johnson had 10.

ENMU secured just its second win all-time in seven meetings with the Eagles, who are first-year members of the conference. The Hounds’ only other victory was an 86-77 verdict in December 2017.

During an early media timeout, ENMU recognized Oklahoma Christian special assistant and former longtime Eagles head coach Dan Hays. He was a two-time NAIA All-American for the Hounds during the 1960s, and is a member of the university’s athletic Hall of Fame.

ENMU returns to action on Jan. 4 when it hosts LSC rival West Texas A&M in a 4 p.m. start at Greyhound Arena.