PORTALES, N.M. – Trailing by four points with 11 seconds remaining,
Abbi Holder scored the final five points to give Eastern New Mexico Women's Basketball (13-7, 8-6 LSC) a 70-69 road win over Midwestern State (9-11, 7-7 LSC) in D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday evening.
Holder finished as the Greyhounds leading scorer with 11 points, while
Tatiana Platonova also finished with 11 points from the bench. Both Holder and Platonova each hit two three pointers, while the latter had a team best four made field goals.
Jaz Salon poured in nine second half points, while five other players provided six points or better.
Kaitlyn Edmondson led the rebounding effort with eight, with
Ishuana Hunter pulling down six boards. Three different Greyhounds had three assists (Holder, Hunter, and Salon), while Edmondson led the Greyhounds blocking effort with a pair.
The Greyhounds led by 10 points at halftime, but the Mustangs used a 4
th quarter 11-0 run to take a 59-53 lead with six minutes to play. From that point, ENMU didn't allow a single field goal for the rest of the game as MSU hit free throws down the stretch. With MSU leading 67-62 with 30 seconds left,
Daci Smith banked in a three to make it a one score game. Midwestern State hit the ensuing two free throws, only for Holder to respond with a three-pointer with six seconds remaining. Following an MSU timeout, Holder stepped in front of the inbound pass and raced to the hoop for a left-handed layup to give ENMU the lead with just two seconds remaining. The Greyhounds held strong over the final possession to grab a crucial road win.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- Midwestern State held the edge on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 45-40 over the Greyhounds. Eastern's bench was superior, having a 38-8 edge on bench points. Defensively, Eastern recorded six blocks and six steals, setting a new season high for blocked shots.
- Eastern finished shooting 44.6% from the field (25-56), connecting on 42.1% of threes (8-19), and going 12-17 at the foul line. Midwestern State had the advantage at the free throw line, shooting 43 foul shot attempts and making 33 of them (76.7%). From the floor MSU struggled, making 17 shots (17-65, 26.2%), with just two three pointers (2-13, 15.4%).
- The Greyhounds have now beaten the Mustangs five times in a row, the longest winning streak in all-time series history. ENMU's win also ended the Mustangs current seven game home winning streak.
- ENMU wraps up the four-game road trip on Saturday, February 1, against #17 Lubbock Christian. The Greyhounds face the Lady Chaps beginning at 12 p.m. (MST) / 1 p.m. (CST) from Rip Griffin Center.