The Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team began their Lone Star Conference season with a decisive 76-36 win over Cameron University on Wednesday night at the Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena in Portales.
Aaliyah Smith played a key role off the bench for the Greyhounds, scoring 14 points, grabbing three rebounds, and recording two steals. Her performance helped ENMU maintain control throughout the game. Hannah Jensen also contributed from the bench with 10 points, supporting a balanced offensive effort from the team.
Daci Smith was effective from long range, making three of four attempts from beyond the arc and adding two rebounds and a steal. Nataya Lockett, Victoria Barrera, and Tonka Jaksic each scored eight points as part of ENMU's deep rotation.
ENMU’s defense was strong throughout the contest, forcing Cameron into 28 turnovers and holding them to just 36 points on 26-of-65 shooting. The Greyhounds’ pressure led to fast-break opportunities and kept Cameron’s offense off balance.
All players who took part in the game contributed at least two points each. In total, 11 different Greyhounds made it onto the scoresheet.
ENMU set an early tone by outscoring Cameron 19-7 in the first quarter and held a 35-16 lead at halftime. The third quarter saw ENMU extend their advantage further by outscoring Cameron 25-9.
Cameron had difficulty finding their rhythm offensively, making only six of their 27 three-point attempts. Kloe Heidebrecht led the Aggies with 15 points while Madison Griggs added five.
With this victory, ENMU improved to a record of 4-3 overall and started conference play at 1-0. Cameron fell to 0-7 overall and remains winless in conference play. This marks two wins in three games for ENMU as they continue their season.
The Greyhounds' bench outperformed Cameron’s reserves by a margin of 54-10. ENMU also dominated rebounding with a total of 50 compared to Cameron’s 40 and limited them to just four second-chance points.
ENMU made 12 of its 20 free throw attempts for a shooting percentage of sixty percent from the line.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to host Oklahoma Christian on Saturday, December 6 at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena in Portales.
