Zias come from behind to drop SWOSU, 71-65
ENMU ends game on 14-2 run

Box Score

PORTALES, N.M. — The Eastern New Mexico University women’s basketball team won its second straight game on Saturday, Dec. 4, defeating Southwestern Oklahoma State University 71-65. The Zias went on a 14-2 run over the final 8:58 to earn an LSC Crossover victory and improve their record to 4-3 on the season.

Heather Brown (So., G, Hereford, TX/Hereford HS) led Eastern with 18 points, and added five rebounds and four assists. Three other Zias scored in double-digits, with Laci Lee (Sr., G, Portales, NM/Portales HS) pouring in 14, Tia Doss (Jr., F, Albuquerque, NM/Highland HS) notching 12 and Tiana Bryant (Jr., P, Roswell, NM/University of New Mexico) adding 10.

Mika Robertson (Sr., F, Levelland, TX/Midland College) led ENMU with six rebounds, while Doss and Brown each grabbed five. Eastern outrebounded SWOSU by a 34-29 margin in the game. Bryant and Lee led the Zias with five assists apiece, while Lee and Riikka Lehtonen (Jr., P, Turku, Finland/Kilgore College) each made three steals for the home squad.

In the closing minutes, ENMU got superb play from Casey Rodriguez (Sr., G, South San Francisco, CA/College of San Mateo), who gave the Zias their first lead of the half, 64-63, on a three-pointer with 4:36 to play. After a SWOSU turnover, the Zias got three chances on the offensive end, with Robertson and Rodriguez each grabbing an offensive rebound. Robertson then buried a three with 3:31 to go, putting the Zias up 67-63. The Bulldogs managed just two points the rest of the way, and Eastern worked its way to the 71-65 victory.

The two teams battled back and forth in the first half, with each shooting greater than 50 percent. The Zias shot 15-for-28 (53.6 percent) in the half, while SWOSU went 16-for-31 (51.6 percent). The Bulldogs used red-hot shooting from the outside (8-for-18, 44.4 percent) to take a 42-38 lead at the break.

The Bulldogs led for the first 8:24 of the second half, when a jumper by Brown tied the score at 55 with 11:36 to play. But the Bulldogs responded immediately afterward, and a three by Grace Anne Jones gave them a 58-55 lead. They increased their lead to 63-57 on a Kayla Watson three-pointer, when the Zias went on their run to end the contest.

Julie Dawson and Jones each scored 16 points for the Bulldogs, who went 13-for-30 from downtown in the game. Watson scored 11 for the visitors, who fell to 4-5 on the season.

The Zias are back in action on Thursday, Dec. 9, when they travel to Austin, Texas for a matchup with Heartland Conference opponent St. Edward’s University.