PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico Women's Basketball fell in its conference opener, 73-62, against St. Edward's on Thursday evening at Greyhound Arena. With the loss, ENMU shifts to 4-3 overall and a 0-1 LSC record. The Hilltoppers improve to 2-3 on the season, with a 1-0 conference standing.
 
With the Greyhounds leading 7-6 after the opening few minutes, the Hilltoppers made things tough defensively. St. Edward's posted a 9-1 stretch over five-minute period, ending the first period 17-12 for SEU, holding ENMU to one field goal in the last five minutes of the quarter. The second frame featured both teams going back and forth answering each score heading into the locker room, SEU 29-25.
 
The second half began with a trading of points, with ENMU trailing 38-33 midway through the quarter. From that moment, the Hilltoppers strung together a 8-0 streak to go up thirteen points on the Greyhounds. St. Edward's maintained a 10 point lead heading to the final period, 51-41. SEU pushed its advantage to as much as 19 points (62-43), starting the final quarter on a 10-2 run. ENMU began to connect from three late in the contest, but the Hilltoppers secured a 73-62 win over ENMU.

NOTABLE STATS

• ENMU mustered 38.3% (23-60) shooting from the field, 31.8% from distance (7-22), and went 9-16 at the foul line.  The visiting Hilltoppers finished 49.1% from the field (26-53), 1-6 from the three-point line, and 20-28 (71.4%) from the foul line.
• St. Edward's outrebounded the Greyhounds 43-30, but the Greyhounds forced 22 turnovers and came away with six steals.
• Ashley Shipley and Vanessa Oduah paced the Greyhounds with 16 points each, with Oduah scoring theirs off the bench. Alecia Whyte also reached double-figures for scoring (11 points), while leading the group with eight rebounds. Jaz Salon led the team with five assists, with Adamari Waddell supporting the team with five rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With the defeat, the all-time series is now at 3-3, with the conference meetups record at 2-2.
• Shipley posted a season best 16 points, and Whyte provided a personal best 11 points this season from the bench. Daci Smith scored their first collegiate points, while Laurie Calixte connected on their first three-point field goal of the year.
• Eastern look to rebound against St. Mary's on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Greyhound Arena. The afternoon tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.