Hounds wear down young OC squad, win 86-76

PORTALES — For one half Monday night, the Oklahoma Christian women’s basketball team looked like anything but a winless squad.

The Eagles, whose 16-player roster includes 11 freshmen, shot 53 percent from the floor, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range — and that includes missing the first three attempts.

Yes, OC was playing way above its normal game. Good thing that Eastern New Mexico University was playing similarly well on offense.

Both sides cooled off a bit in the final two stanzas, but Oklahoma Christian’s dropoff was far more noticeable. The Eagles (0-18, 0-9 LSC) went just 5-for-25 from the floor and 2-of-11 from 3 in that stretch, and the Hounds pulled away late for an 86-76 Lone Star Conference win at Greyhound Arena.

The game was a makeup of a contest scheduled for January but postponed due to COVID protocols in the OC program.

“A team like that has nothing to lose,” said ENMU senior guard Iyanna McCurdy, who posted her fourth double-double in five games with 28 points and 12 rebounds. “We knew they were going to be a challenge for us.”

Both teams normally shoot around 35 percent from the floor, including 25 percent from distance, and typically score in the low 60s.

This time, the Eagles got 20 points from 5-foot-5 freshman guard Ashanti Day en route to a stunning 49-45 halftime lead.

“For them to come out and play that hard, they deserve so much respect,” first-year ENMU coach Meghan De los Reyes said of the Eagles. “Hanging with them offensively was huge. The second half we totally had a momentum change.”

The Hounds (9-9, 5-7) erased a nine-point deficit with a 10-0 blitz in the third quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Julia Chavez. No field goals were made over the final 3:25 of the period, but OC converted 8-of-10 free throws in that stretch to regain a 66-61 lead.

ENMU finally took control with the first eight points and 15 of the first 17 in the fourth stanza to open a 76-68 lead with four minutes left.

McCurdy guarded Day for much of the second half, limiting her to eight points. OC freshman guard Brooklin Bain also had a double with 20 points and 11 boards, while freshman guard Kate Bradley scored 12.

“We knew (Day) was hot, but we adjusted at halftime,” McCurdy said. “We just had to get out on them.”

All 11 Hounds scored in the game, with sophomore guard Natalie Stice adding 15 points. Both team shot well above their free throw averages, too, with ENMU going 26-for-35 (McCurdy was 8-for-8) and OC hitting 22-of-27.

The win all but cements a spot for the Hounds, currently in 10th place, in the upcoming 12-team LSC tournament. They have a tough finishing schedule, but with a bit of luck could possibly move up a notch or two. ENMU plays at contending Cameron on Thursday and at West Texas A&M on Saturday, then takes on defending NCAA Division II champion Lubbock Christian in home-and-home contests next week.

“Coming off this type of fourth quarter, it makes us feel really good going into the weekend,” De los Reyes said. “I was really proud of how the girls made adjustments.”