PORTALES, NM – The Aggie men's basketball team used a stellar shooting night and strong performances from
JV Long and
Jalen Nicholas to take down Eastern New Mexico on Thursday afternoon, 78-66.
Both teams started out slow in the first half, as the score was just 13-13 after the first 10 minutes of play. Play picked up as the teams traded buckets and the lead a few times in the final five minutes of the half, but it was the Aggies who were on top at the half, leading 32-31. CU shot just 35.5 percent from the field through the first 20 minutes, but went 6-13 from three point range and 4-6 from the free throw line.
Tyus Momoh led Cameron at the break with eight points, while
Delvonte Pierre had six and Long and Nicholas each had five.
CU took the lead early in the second half, and thanks to an 8-0 run they stretched the lead to 10 with just under 15 minutes to play. The Aggies used another big 9-0 run later in the half to take a 63-48 lead at the 8:18 mark. The Greyhounds would not go away quietly as they put together an 8-0 run of their own, cutting the Cameron lead to just eight with less than four minutes left in the contest. However, Nicholas scored four straight points to stretch the lead back out to 10. CU would convert a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left to secure the 78-66 win.
The Aggies shot their second highest field goal percentage and three point percentage of the year, making 46.6 percent of their shots, including 10-20 from the perimeter. They got 26 points from their bench, 24 in the paint, and 15 off turnovers. Long filled up the stat sheet, scoring 16 points and recording 5 rebounds, four assists, and a block, while going 6-8 from three and 2-2 from three point range. Nicholas finished with a career high 12 points on 4-8 shooting, while also grabbing a career high seven rebounds. Momoh also finished with 12 points, and had three assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Eastern New Mexico shot 39.7 percent from the field, while going 7-22 from three and 13-25 from the free throw line. Joe Clarke led them with 13 points and blocked three shots, as Lamarquis Thompson chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds.
Cameron improves to 11-6 and 4-3 in LSC play with the win, while ENMU falls to 7-9 overall and 1-5 in league play.
CU will continue their road trip with a journey 419 miles further to the west as they visit Western New Mexico on Saturday, Jan. 14 starting at 5 p.m. central time.
