Zias Fall to 9th-Ranked Angelo State, 61-42

Box Score

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS — The Eastern New Mexico University women’s basketball team could not withstand the second half onslaught of nationally-ranked Angelo State University and lost to the Rambelles, 61-42, in a Lone Star Conference game on Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Junell Center. The Zias dropped to 9-14 overall, 3-7 in the LSC South, while the Rambelles upped their record to 20-2 overall. ASU leads the LSC South with an 8-1 record.

Eastern began the game on a positive note, using a 9-2 run to take a 15-10 lead with 7:07 to play in the first half. Loren Scarlett (Sr., P, Throckmorton, TX/Throckmorton HS) scored five points during the run, including a three-pointer, and Riikka Lehtonen (Jr., P, Turku, Finland/ Kilgore College) added four points.

ASU, ranked #9 in the NCAA Division II Poll conducted by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), answered by keeping the Zias scoreless over the next 6:27, while the Rambelles went on a 14-0 run. By halftime, Angelo State had battled back from its early five- point deficit to take a 24-17 lead.

Coming out of the locker room, ASU went on a 9-1 run to increase its lead to 33-18. Tiana Bryant (Jr., P, Roswell, NM/University of New Mexico) tried to stop the Rambelles’ surge by scoring the next basket on a three-pointer with 16:29 to play. Angelo State’s momentum could not be swayed, as the Rambelles answered with seven straight points before Scarlett hit a 3-pointer for ENMU with 12:46 on the clock to cut the lead to 40-24.

The Zias were held scoreless on several occasions, allowing ASU to increase its lead to as many as 26 points, 53-27, with 5:48 left in the game. Angelo State was led by Ashley King, who finished the game with career and game highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Zias held ASU’s All-American post player, Natalja Tsurbakova, to 14 points and 5 rebounds. Prior to this week’s games, Tsurbakova was averaging 18.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per night.

Scarlett led the Zias in scoring with 11 points, and added five rebounds, four steals, and a blocked shot for a solid all-around game. Lehtonen added eight points. Heather Brown (So., G, Hereford, TX/Hereford HS) scored seven points, while Tia Doss (Jr., F, Albuquerque, NM/Highland HS) had six points, to go along with five rebounds.

ENMU remains on the road this coming week, visiting Texas A&M University-Commerce on Thursday, Feb. 17 and Midwestern State University on Saturday, Feb. 19. Both games are set for tip-offs at 5 p.m. MST.