Tuesday, January 05, 2016

PORTALES, N.M. — Kassandra Harris registered her second straight double double for the Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team (5-6; LSC 0-1) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Texas Woman's University (13-2; LSC 3-0) rallied for a 59-54 win over the Greyhounds in Lone Star Conference action, Tuesday night at Greyhound Arena.

Harris' performance marked the first time an ENMU women's basketball player posted consecutive double doubles, since Tori Tucker accomplished the feat In January 2014, against Angelo State and Texas A&M-Commerce.

After the teams traded baskets throughout the opening half, the Pioneers held a slim 26-24 halftime lead. After a layup from TWU's Alex Nezianya to open the second half, Mikaehla Connor hit a pair of free throws to spark a 16-2 Greyhound surge, which was capped by seven straight points from Harris. Harris' short jumper with 4:27 left in the quarter staked ENMU to a 40-30 lead. The teams continued to exchange baskets, with ENMU taking a 45-37 lead into the final quarter of play. The Hounds outscored TWU 21-11 in the third quarter, with Harris scoring 10 points, while Connor poured in seven.

In contrast, Texas Woman's held a 22-9 edge in fourth quarter points. The Pioneers opened the quarter with a 9-1 run and pulled even on a trey from Emily Spector with 5:50 left in the game. Kara Mitchell followed with a trey to give TWU a three-point lead it would not relinquish. ENMU pulled within a single point on two occasions, the final coming on a short jumper from Connor to close to 51-50 with 2:57 to play.

After receiving possession after a missed free throw went out of bounds, The Pioneers seemed to have a safe 57-54 lead with just 21 seconds left. Just seven seconds later, TWU's Morgan Easley was called for an offensive foul, which gave Eastern one final chance. Connor just missed a potential game-tying three-point shot, and TWU hit its final two free throws to seal the win.

Eastern held a slim 28.3-26.5 advantage in shooting percentage, but the Pioneers enjoyed a 73.1-64.3 lead in free-throw percentage. Connor finished with 15 points and six rebounds for ENMU, while Sarah Stinnett added 14 points, four caroms and four assists. Johna McClelland grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. In addition to her double double, Harris had four steals. Kenesha Saygo paced TWU with 18 points and connected on 11 of her 12 attempts from the free throw line.

The Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team will return to action on Thursday, to host Cameron University. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. MT.