Thursday, November 20, 2014                             
                                                                                                                
DURANGO, COLO. — Junior forward Lawrence Domingo (Union City, Calif. / Community Charter Early College HS/Stoneridge Prep) paced four players from the Eastern New Mexico University men's basketball team (2-2), Thursday evening at Whalen Gymnasium. Fort Lewis College (4-0) got off to a quick start and pulled away for a 104-72 win over the Greyhounds.
 
Win the loss, Eastern still leads the overall series with Fort Lewis, 11-8, although the Sky Hawks have won the last two meetings. The Hounds last win in the series was a 105-56 decision on November 23, 1993.
 
Rasmus Bach hit a jumper 37 seconds into the contest to ignite a 12-0 run to open the game. Domingo and Demetrius Balark (Jr., G, Glendale, Ariz./Raymond S. Kellis HS/Cochise College) hit back-to-back jumpers, with Balark finishing on the fast break to pull the Hounds to within eight, with 15:14 left in the half. The teams traded baskets until the Sky Hawks held a 25-14 lead, when Deyton De La Cerda (R-Jr., G, Roswell, N.M./Roswell HS) pulled up on the fast break and hit a three-point basket, followed by another jumper from Domingo, to trim the deficit to 25-19, with 9:23 left in the period.
 
Fort Lewis pushed their lead back to 10 points twice, the second time coming on a Cade Kloster jumper with 7:40 left in the half, to make the score 31-21 in the home team's favor. A John Gilliam (Jr., G, San Bernardino, Calif./Upland HS/Chaffey College) layup ignited a 7-1 Greyhound run over the ensuing 1:17, capped by a Domingo layup which pulled the Hounds to within four points, 32-28. Eastern pulled to within four points once more in the game, with 3:50 left until halftime, but the Sky Hawks closed the half on a 12-3 run and continued to pull away in the second half.
 
Fort Lewis held a 61.5-33.3 edge in shooting percentage, but Eastern enjoyed a 31.3-25 percent advantage from three-point range. The Sky Hawks held a 45-44 rebounding advantage, but the Hounds finished with a decisive 19-7 lead on the offensive glass. That advantage translated to an 18-7 lead in second-chance points for the Hounds. De La Cerda and Chris Wyms (Jr., G, Carson, Calif. / King Drew Medical Magnet HS / Cerritos College) each finished with 11 points, with De La Cerda adding four assists and a steal, while Wyms grabbed five caroms. Jacob Straley (Sr., F, Riverside, Calif. / Riverside Poly HS / San Diego Christian College) chipped in 10 points, while Domingo matched a career high with eight rebounds. Alex Herrera poured in 21 points for the Sky Hawks and pulled down 11 rebounds.
 
The Eastern New Mexico University men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday evening, when they take on cross-state rival, Western New Mexico University. The contest will take place at The Pit, in Albuquerque, N.M., and tip off at 6 p.m. MT.