Greyhounds Finish Strong in 83-70 Win at East Central
Hunnicutt Scores 24 Points, including 16 in the Second Half

Box Score

PORTALES, N.M. — Senior forward Jamaal Hunnicutt (Amarillo, TX/Hill JC) scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, as Eastern New Mexico University held off a rally by East Central University and pulled away from the Tigers, 83-70, in a Lone Star Conference crossover game on Saturday, Jan. 15. ENMU improved to 7-8 with the victory, while East Central dropped to 9-6.

ENMU led 43-33 at the half, but East Central pulled within two points, 64-62, on a layup by Brandon Hawkins with 7:19 left. The Greyhounds sealed the win by outscoring the Tigers 19-8 the rest of the way, including nine points from Hunnicutt. The game clinching run began with eight unanswered points for a 72-62 lead. Hunnicutt’s basket and foul shot with 3:01 remaining gave Eastern a 77-66 advantage, and Eastern maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

ENMU was 22 of 26 on free throws (84.6%) during the game, including 17 of 20 (85.0%) in the second half. Hunnicutt was particularly strong at the line, converting 10 of 11 charity shots.

Hunnicutt improved to 1,044 career points, just two away from Rick Pickren (1998-90) for 17th on Eastern’s all-time scoring list. Against ECU, Hunnicutt also hauled down 11 rebounds, earned three assists, blocked a shot and had one steal. Edmound Elzy (Sr., F, Victorville, VA/Barstow CC) also provided Eastern with a double-double, as he scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Jolen Montoya (Jr., G, Cordova, NM/Neosho County CC) scored 19 points and made 5 of 7 three-pointers (4 of 5 in the first half). Jason Breland (Jr., G, Los Angeles, CA/Mt. San Antonio College) added 16 points for the Hounds.

The game was close for most of the first half, with neither team holding a lead greater than three points until the 7:34 mark, when Montoya sank a 3-pointer to give Eastern a 27-21 edge. Montoya’s basket was part of an 11-0 run for the Greyhounds, as ENMU broke a 21-21 tie with 8:41 on the clock and surged out to a 32-21 lead with 6:09 remaining in the half.

James Nave cut the margin to nine points with a layup for ECU, but Montoya drilled another 3-pointer with 5:44 left in the period, giving the Hounds a 35-23 advantage. The Tigers pulled within six points, 37-31, at the 3:07 mark, but a free throw by Elzy, a trifecta from Montoya and a jumper by Breland sent ENMU on a 6-2 run for a 43-33 halftime lead.

Eastern’s lead fluctuated between seven and 10 points early in the second half. The Tigers reduced the deficit to six points, 51-45, on a layup by Geno Odom with 15:39 left, but ENMU’s margin didn’t get any smaller until the 9:01 mark, when Nave converted a free throw to cut the lead to 62-57. Odom added a free throw with 8:13 to go.

Reggie Wallace (Jr., G, Pasadena, CA/Mt. San Antonio College) hit two free throws for the Greyhounds with 7:43 left, but Odom scored on a layup just 10 seconds later, as Eastern’s lead fell to four points, 64-60. Hawkins advanced the Tigers within two points on ECU’s next trip down the floor, but ENMU controlled the rest of the game.

Eastern shot 45.8% for the game (27 of 59), including 38.9% on 3-pointers (7 of 18). The Greyhounds connected on just 37.9% from the floor in the second half (11 of 29), but used their free throw success to secure the win.

The Tigers sank half as many free throws as the Greyhounds, with ECU converting 11 of 17 charity shots. East Central was 26 of 60 from the field (43.3%). The Tigers matched Eastern from 3-point range by connecting on 7 of 18 attempts from behind the arc.

Hawkins was ECU’s top scorer, with 19 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and supplied five assists. Dominique Williams, who tallied 15 points in the first half, finished with 17 points for the Tigers. Darren Randall added 16 points, six rebounds and three steals. Odom ended the game with nine points and six boards.

Eastern will return to Portales, N.M. to open LSC South action on Thursday, Jan. 20, against Texas A&M University-Commerce. Game time at Greyhound Arena is set for 7:30 p.m MST. The Greyhounds will also play at home on Saturday, Jan. 22, when they are slated to host Midwestern State University at 7 p.m. MST.