Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
BY THE STAFF OF THE NEWS
LAREDO, Texas — Freshman guard Natalie Stice scored a game-high 22 points, including 6-for-11 from 3-point range, and Eastern New Mexico University’s women survived a scare by tallying the game’s final nine points to post a 68-60 Lone Star Conference victory over Texas A&M International on Thursday night.
Stice shot 8-for-14 overall, including 6-for-11 from beyond the arc to tie for the fourth-most individual 3-point makes in a game in program history. Sophomore guard Zamorye Cox added 16 points and a team-high five assists for the Greyhounds, while senior post Natalie DeLonge posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
It was the 200th career win for ENMU women’s coach Josh Prock at the college level. With a win on Saturday at Texas A&M-Kingsville, Prock is now 201-123 in 12 combined seasons at ENMU (93-92) and at NCAA Division III Howard Payne (108-31).
Thursday’s win was anything but easy, however. The Hounds, coming off an upset win over second-ranked and defending NCAA Division II champion Lubbock Christian and a narrow loss to talented Angelo State last weekend at Greyhound Arena, fell behind 6-0 at the outset and trailed 29-22 at the intermission after shooting just 31 percent from the field in the half.
Stice nailed a 3-pointer on ENMU’s second possession of the third quarter, then tied it 31-31 with another trey about a minute later before putting the Hounds ahead for the first time 36-35 with her third 3 of the stanza at the 6:21 mark.
International (7-11, 4-8) clawed back to take a 60-59 lead on a layup by junior forward Nicole Heyn with 2:39 left. Cox, though, put ENMU back on top with a jumper on the next trip down, and junior post Alivia Lewis had two baskets in the closing run to help the Hounds seal the deal.
Junior guard Patrycja Jaworska led the Dustdevils (7-11, 4-8) with 21 points, while Heyn and sophomore guard Josselin Geer added 10 apiece.
ENMU 60, Texas A&M-Kingsville 45 (Saturday) — Cox scored 15 points and handed out five assists as the Hounds completed a weekend sweep in south Texas.
But again, it was a bit of a struggle. ENMU (13-5, 7-5) led by seven points early, but it was just 26-24 at halftime and the Javelinas (3-12, 2-10) took the lead on their first possession of the second half on a 3-pointers by junior guard Treazure Mouton.
The Hounds then held Kingsville scoreless for five minutes and rattled off 10 unanswered to open a 36-27 lead, and they went on a 6-0 run over three minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters. Their lead was as much as 19 down the stretch.
DeLonge added 12 points for ENMU, while Lewis flirted with a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Bridget Upton led the Javelinas with 16 points — all but three coming before halftime — while junior forward Anastacia Mickens scored 13.
Texas A&M International 76, ENMU 71 (men, Thursday) — An early 20-point deficit was too much for ENMU to overcome on Thursday, even against a team which had lost 14 in a row.
The Dustdevils (3-15, 1-11) put four players in double figures, led by a season-high 22 points from junior guard Matija Novkovic, who went 7-for-12 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the foul line. Sophomore forward Tom Higgins (16 points, 15 rebounds) and senior forward Caleb Highley (12 and 12) logged double-doubles for International, while junior guard Calvin Fugett Jr. added 11 points and a game-high five assists.
ENMU (5-11, 5-6), which dropped its third in a row by a combined 11 points after winning five of seven, got 20 points apiece from junior guard Isaiah Murphy and sophomore guard Devin Pullum, but no one else scored more than seven.
Pullum, who scored at least 20 points for the fifth time this season, and Murphy, who posted a season high, combined to shoot 7-of-14 from 3-point range.
The Dustdevils used early 11-0 and 13-0 runs to build a 30-10 advantage with six minutes left in the half. The Hounds closed that to 36-22 at intermission, then went on a 21-6 run early in the second stanza and took their first lead since the opening minute 43-42 on a 3-pointer by Pullum with 13:09 to go.
The game stayed back-and-forth for the next several minutes. Consecutive 3s by Pullum put ENMU in front 56-53 with 7:15 to go, but a 3 by Fugett tied it at the 6:09 mark and started the Dustdevils on a decisive 15-4 run for an eight-point lead with under three minutes remaining.
ENMU pulled to within three points twice after that, but International went 5-for-6 from the foul line over the final 19 seconds to seal it.