Eastern downed by PSU, 76-53
Robertson scores 17 in losing effort

Box Score

JOPLIN, MO. — The Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team lost for the second straight contest on Friday, Nov. 26, as it fell to Pittsburg State University in the first game of the Missouri Southern State University Pizza Hut/Fairfield Inn Classic, 76-53. The win pushed PSU to 3-1 on the season, while the Zias dropped to 2-2.

Mika Robertson (Sr., F, Levelland, TX/Midland College) led ENMU with 17 points and six rebounds, but shot just 6-of-16 from the floor. Tia Doss (Jr., P, Albuquerque, NM/Highland HS) added 11 points and five boards for the Zias in a losing effort. Eastern shot just 36.2 percent from the field as a team.

PSU led from start to finish, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead and never looking back. The Gorillas shot a red-hot 63 percent in the first half, carrying a 46-29 lead into the break. They also held a 31-29 edge on the boards in the game.

Pittsburg got 18 points apiece from Kami Scrivner and Tracy Patry, and 15 more from Janelle Klein, 13 of which came in the first half. Klein shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in the game while Patry went 7-for-11. The Zias held Scrivner to a 5-for-14 mark, but the senior went a perfect 7-for-7 on free throws.

Heather Brown (So., G, Hereford, TX/Hereford HS) made five assists for ENMU to go with her seven points. The Zias held the edge in steals, 9-4, with Doss making three and Riikka Lehtonen (Jr., P, Turku, Finland/Kilgore College) posting two.

Eastern is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 27 when it faces off with host MSSU in the final game of the MSSU Pizza Hut/Fairfield Inn Classic. The Lions topped Ozark Christian College on Friday, 85-31. Tipoff for Saturday’s contest is slated for 2 p.m. MST.