Friday, December 04, 2015
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Height isn't always a factor, but it was Friday night, especially in the case of Eastern New Mexico University's Chaunce Hill, with the 6'7" big-man leading the men's basketball team to a 77-55 victory over St. Mary's University (TX) by scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Hill recorded his first double-double of the season on an outstanding 6-9 shooting from the floor while playing 35 minutes. Javandon Staves also had quite the performance, scoring 16 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor while recording his own double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Two other Hounds (3-5) scored in double digits, with Ladarius Stewart and Javaan Mumtaz recording 12 and 11 points, respectively. Stewart combined with Lawrence Domingo for 14 boards at seven rebounds apiece.
St. Mary's (4-3) was led by Kriston Minor with a game-high of 19 points. The Rattlers had a tough night shooting the ball, only hitting 26 percent of their field goals compared to ENMU's 42 percent. The Hounds also managed 33 percent from beyond the arc and 61 percent from the free throw line.
Once Eastern opened up the game with two consecutive scores they never looked back, holding on to the lead and never letting STMU get back in the contest. Without a single tie or lead change, the Greyhounds went into the locker room at half with an 11 point lead, eventually ending the night with the 16 point victory.
Four Hounds played for a majority of the game, with Hill leading the team at 38 minutes while Stewart, Staves and Mumtaz all logged at least 30 minutes on the court.
Hill wasn't only the team leader on offense with his scoring and six offensive rebounds, but also was a workhorse on defense, zeroing in for a season-high three blocked shots and four steals. Staves cleaned the glass well on the defensive end, with nine of his 11 boards coming at the defensive end. The Hounds outrebounded the Rattlers 54-42.
ENMU will return home from their two game Texas road trip to prepare for their extended journey to Florida for a three game stretch. The Hounds will meet Florida Southern College Dec. 17 in Lakeland before traveling to Tampa for the Tampa Classic with matchups against Tampa University Dec. 19 and Eckerd University Dec. 20.