Thursday, November 18, 2014
                                                                                                  
LAKELAND, FLA. — Senior forward Tori Tucker (Portales, N.M./Floyd HS/Howard College) registered the seventh 20-point game of her career to lead the Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team (4-5) to a 66-49 victory Over Florida Southern College (5-3) at the Jenkins Field House. The contest was ENMU's opener at the Florida Southern/Terrace Hotel Classic. After a 1-5 start to the season, the win was ENMU's third straight.
 
The contest was the first meeting between the teams and Florida Southern entered the game ranked ninth in the South Region. The 17-point win marked the largest margin of victory for the Zias since a 39-point win over University of the Southwest, last season. Eastern has led at halftime in seven of its nine game this season and been out rebounded just twice. The contest was the third 20-point game of the season for Tucker.
 
The Mocs scored first on a Sydni Payne layup, 30 seconds into the contest, for their only lead of the game. ENMU pulled even on a Brittany Gutierrez (Jr., P, Gallup, N.M./Otero JC) layup and led for 35:38 of the contest. The final tie score came at 22-all, with 3:58 left in the opening half, but Sarah Stinnett (Jr., G, Fort Sumner, N.M./Howard College) drained a three-point bucket to ignite a 7-0 run, capped by a short jumper from Tucker, for a 29-22 lead, 11 seconds into the second half. Florida Southern managed to pull within five points, but could come no closer as Eastern pulled away for the win.
 
The Zias connected on a season-best nine three-point field goals, shot .429 (also a season high) from outside the arc and allowed just one trey from the Mocs in 14 attempts. Tucker also grabbed eight rebounds and two steals, while Stinnett and Jaylyn Cooper (Jr., G, Texico, N.M./Texico HS) had 11 points each. Cassidy Doherty (Jr., G, Folsom, N.M./Melrose HS) dished out a career-high eight assists, while Gutierrez added seven points, seven boards and five assists. Florida Southern was led by Payne and Syerra Davis, with 12 points each.
 
The Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team will continue play at the Florida Southern/Terrace Hotel Classic, against ninth-ranked University of Tampa. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. MT.
 
Notes
 
The Zias have a season best 19 assists in each of the last two games
 
Cassidy Doherty has dished out 15 assists in the last two games
 
The Zias have outscored the opposition, 79-56 in the second half over the last two games