Eastern New Mexico rallies past Lubbock Christian in overtime thriller, 62-59 - Lone Star Conference Skip To Main Content

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Eastern New Mexico rallies past Lubbock Christian in overtime thriller, 62-59

Championship Central
 
By NICK EATMAN
 
FRISCO, Texas – A matchup between two of the top scoring offenses in the conference turned into a defensive slugfest in the final quarterfinal game of the day in Friday’s Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament. In fact, 40 minutes wasn’t enough to decide this battle.

But in the end, No. 5 seed Eastern New Mexico survived to advance with a 62-59 overtime win over No. 4 Lubbock Christian at Comerica Center. The Greyhounds (20-9) move on to Saturday’s semifinal to play defending champions Texas Woman's at 6 p.m.

The Greyhounds never led in the fourth quarter or for the first four minutes of overtime, but a pair of steals in the final minute finally push ENMU over the top. First, LSC Newcomer of the Year Chloe Dallas came away with a turnover and was immediately fouled with 27 seconds left. Dallas hit both shots to give the Greyhounds a one-point lead. And before LCU could cross halfcourt, Matrice Brooks stole the ball from Kenadi Chappell and took it the other way for a layup and a three-point lead.

After a timeout, LCU tried to get a good look but Raegan Lee’s desperation corner three-point shot was too strong and Brooks corralled the rebound for ENMU as time ran out, prompting quite a celebration as the players rushed the court in excitement.

In the second half, LCU led the majority of the way but never could pull away from ENMU, which finally tied the score at 49 with a minute to play. LCU’s Martie McCoy drilled a 3-pointer to break the tie, only to see Aailyah Smith drain a three-pointer with 33 seconds left to pull even again. The Lady Chaps had a shot-clock violation turnover and the Greyhounds couldn’t score on an inbounds play with two seconds left, forcing the extra session.   

In overtime, McCoy struck again with an early three-pointer that gave LCU a five-point edge, but just like they did all of the second half, the Greyhounds kept battling and wouldn’t go away.

Dallas scored four straight points to keep the Greyhounds close and then Julieta Ceja made a pair of free throws to trim the lead to one before the final two steals led to the win.
           
 Eastern New Mexico Notes:
  • ENMU had lost 16 out of its last 17 games to LCU, including the last 10 before Friday’s win.
  • ENMU is advancing to the semifinals of the LSC Tournament for the first time since 1997. The Greyhounds have never won the tournament title and have only made two final appearances.
  • The Greyhounds improve to 11-25 all-time in this LSC Championship.
  • The Greyhounds were 4-6 this year in the 10 games in which they scored under 63 points. Despite a 62-point effort on Friday, ENMU got the win to improve that mark to 5-6.
  • ENMU is currently listed eighth in the latest South Central Regional ranking and certainly helped their stock by beating LCU, the No. 4 team in the region.
Lubbock Christian Notes:
  • LCU’s last three losses in the LSC Championship Tournament have been in overtime. Last year, the Chaps lost in the tournament final to TWU in overtime. In 2024, LCU dropped a triple-OT thriller to Texas A&M International.
  • The Lady Chaps lead the LSC in three-point shooting, hitting 35 percent from beyond the arc. But on Friday, they fell way below their average, making five of 20 attempts (25 percent).
  • Kenadi Chappell ranks first in the LSC and 11th in the nation in free throws made. She hit five of six attempts.
  • LSC Freshman of the Year Meg Meekins suffered an injury in the fourth quarter and didn’t finish regulation or overtime. She had 12 points and five rebounds.