Thursday, January 12, 2017

PORTALES, NM — Brandi Gomez poured in a career-best 20 points, while Mikaehla Connor scored all 13 of her points in the second half, in Thursday morning's Lone Star Conference game at Greyhound Arena. The Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team (11-3; LSC 7-0) rallied from 14 points down, for a thrilling 84-76 over Cameron (4-9; LSC 2-5), in front of 2,336 fans on Youth Day.

With the win, ENMU improved to 21-14 all-time against the Aggies, with a 14-4 mark at home. Former Aggie, Brandi Gomez paced the Hounds with a career-high 20 points and five rebounds. "We knew it would be a big game for her," said Head Coach Josh Prock. "Mikaehla Connor created a lot of baskets for us in the second half, whether it was scoring or setting them up."

The Greyhounds moved to 7-0 in LSC play for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

The Turning Point

• Cameron held a 46-32 lead with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter when Gomez hit a layup and followed with a free throw
• Connor followed with a pair of layups as ENMU's run was 9-2 over 2:27 of play and pulled the Hounds within seven points
• The Greyhounds shot a sizzling 69.2 percent from the floor in the third quarter and closed to within two points (59-57) on Connor's layup to end the period
• Eastern tied the game four times in the final quarter, before taking the lead for good (71-69) on a Connor layup
• That basket ignited a 13-1 Greyhound run as ENMU pulled away to remain undefeated in LSC play

Beyond the Box Score

• The win marked ENMU's biggest come-from-behind win since rallying from a 19-point deficit last year for a win over Midwestern State
• The last time the Hounds played Cameron, they rallied from two separate 15-point deficit for a road win
• With the win, the Hounds already have their most wins in a season since 2006-07 (14-12)
• Cameron played tenacious defense and held a 13-5 edge on turnovers in the opening half
• The trend reversed in the second half, with ENMU enjoying an 11-6 turnover advantage
• The game also marked ENMU's first win since Northwest Nazarene, when being outrebounded. The Hounds are 7-2 when winning the battle of the boards this season
• The game marked the sixth time this season ENMU has scored at least 20 points in two quarters, with the 29 points in the fourth matching the fourth quarter against Tarleton State as the most for the Hounds in a quarter this season

How it Started

• Daeshi McCants scored the first five points, as ENMU charged to an 11-4 lead
• Eastern limited the Aggies to just three first quarter field goals, but Cameron stayed close with a seven-for-eighth performance at the free-throw line
• The Hounds continued to hold the lead until Caitlin Clancy completed a fast break to give CU a 21-20 lead with 7:45 left in the half.
• The basket was part of a 17-3 Cameron run which spanned 6:05 of play and staked the Aggies to a 32-23 lead with 2:55 left in the second quarter
• Eastern closed to within four on five straight points from Sarina Johnson
• Cameron closed the period on an 8-0 run, which included treys from Natalie Halbleib and Jamie Bonnarens to hold a 40-28 halftime lead

In the Numbers

• Eastern held a 45.9-38.5 percent edge in shooting percentage
• ENMU also enjoyed a 20-8 lead in points off turnovers
• Kassandra Harris finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three steals
• Connor added four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a blocked shot
• McCants and Johnson chipped in 12 and 10 points respectively
• Savanna James paced CU with 25 points and five boards

Up Next
The Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team will return to action on Saturday, to host Midwestern State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST.