PORTALES, New Mexico – The Angelo State women's basketball team held on to beat Eastern New Mexico 62-59 on the road on Saturday afternoon in Portales, New Mexico.
The Belles (12-4, 7-3 LSC) won their fourth straight game by limiting the Greyhounds (9-8, 5-5 LSC) to just 29.5 percent from the field. ASU forced 17 ENMU turnovers and scored 21 points while also outscoring in the paint 38-26.
Marquita Daniels scored a team-high 19 points while adding six rebounds and three assists. Ekiya Gray recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Dezirae Hampton added 13 points.
The Belles 18 point halftime lead had dwindled to just three at 60-57 with just twenty-four seconds left in the game. Gray sank one of two free throws to make it 61-57 and seconds later a Keanna Kelly free throw increased the scored to 62-57. ENMU sank a pair of free throws with one second left and a last gasp three pointer was off the mark as ASU held on to a 62-59 victory.
ASU limited ENMU to just seven points in the first quarter and built an 11 point lead. It is the second straight game the Belles had limited a team to single digits in the first quarter. Angelo State scored the first six points of the game before ENMU put points on the board. A 12-2 run was capped off by a jumper by Daniels in the fourth quarter. The two teams traded buckets with Daniels ending the quarter with a jumper to make it 18-7.
Angelo State excelled in the second quarter hitting 47.1 percent from the field while holding ENMU to just 18.8 from the field. ENMU was held to single digits until a jumper at the 7:26 mark of the second quarter to make the score 24-11. ASU would build its lead with a 12-7 run including a pair of 3-pointers by Hampton to go into the half up 36-18.
ENMU came out and outscored ASU 20-12 into the third quarter with three 3-pointers. The Belles held on to a 20 point lead throughout the third quarter including a 26 points advantage with 4:45 left on a 3-pointer by Hampton. The Greyhounds went on a 10-0 run over the final 2:26 of the quarter to trail 48-38 after three quarter.
Eastern New Mexico opened the fourth with four straight points to make it 48-42 with 8:20 in the fourth quarter. A quick 6-1 run was aided by a pair of layups by Daniels pushed the lead back to 54-43. Up 10 with 4:36 left, ASU was held to just one point until a jumper by Daniels with 42 seconds left before the final moments of the game.
The Belles have a quick turnaround as Angelo State will host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
