LSC Women's Basketball Championship Central

Traditionally, the matchup between 4-5 seeds is supposed to be the best quarterfinal game of the day. And true to form, Thursday night’s final game at Comerica Center didn’t disappoint.

Eastern New Mexico, the No. 5 seed that had to win Tuesday night to get here, made the clutch plays down the stretch on both ends of the court to escape No. 4 seed Tarleton, 66-62.

Down by as much as nine in the second half, ENMU trailed 60-57 with 3:38 to play. But from there, the Greyhounds used a 9-0 run to seize control. Big shots in that run included a go-ahead layup by Alivia Lewis, another bucket in the paint by Natalie DeLonge and then a key steal and layup from Zamorye Cox to put the game away in the final seconds. It was fitting that Cox had the final big play as she paced the Greyhounds all night, leading the way with 24 points and seven assists. Overall, ENMU outscored Tarleton 21-10 in the fourth quarter.

The win advances ENMU (22-8) to Saturday’s semifinals to play top seed Texas A&M-Commerce at 2:30 p.m. in Frisco. 

But more than just a berth in the LSC Championship semifinals was on the line, the Texans and Greyhounds are also battling for the final spot in next week’s regional tournament. Tarleton entered the game ranked eighth with ENMU sitting in ninth.

More than just her 24 points, Cox had seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals. DeLonge scored 18 points and had five blocks.

The stat sheet from Thursday’s game favored Tarleton in many areas. The Texans outrebounded ENMU 44-21 and won the turnover battle 18-11. They also limited the Greyhounds to just 1 of 15 from 3-point land.

Plus, Tarleton senior Mackenzie Hailey scored a career-high 31 points in what could be her final game with the Texans. She made all three of Tarleton’s 3-pointers on the night. Marissa Escamilla posted 10 points and 10 rebounds.

In the first half, Tarleton jumped out to a 13-7 lead but a 12-1 run by the Greyhounds put ENMU in front. Both teams battled the rest of the second quarter before ENMU took a 29-27 halftime edge.   

ENMU Notes:

• The Greyhounds became the first team Thursday to pull off an upset in this year’s quarterfinal round.
• After winning eight LSC Championship games in school history before this week, the Greyhounds now have won two this week.
• ENMU is seeking the school’s first-ever tournament title but have only made the final twice (1991, 1993).
• ENMU improved to 5-0 in neutral site games this season and 11-1 on Thursday night games.

 
Tarleton Notes:

• Mackenzie Hailey is Tarleton’s second-leading scorer all-time with (1,878) points, after scoring 31 on Thursday.
• Tarleton’s loss was similar to its lone win over ENMU earlier this season. The Texans trailed 52-42 with 2:00 to play before a 12-0 run to end the game with a 54-52 win.
• Tarleton outscored its opponents this year by 58 points but had an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter Thursday night.