Season-high scoring performances from Nick Brown and Darius Sawyer propelled Eastern New Mexico University to a 77-69 non-conference men’s basketball victory over Arkansas Tech University at Collin College in Plano, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon.
Brown scored 21 points and Sawyer netted 14 points as the Greyhounds (4-4) won their third consecutive game and sent the Wonder Boys (2-5) to a third consecutive loss.
“We have to find a way to get a win to get our confidence back,” said Chad Kline, ATU head coach. “It’s not like we’ve been playing bad. This was a one or two possession game until the very end. Right now we are having one bad stretch that alters the game.”
That stretch on Tuesday came late in the second half when the Wonder Boys went more than four-and-a-half minutes without scoring a point. Eastern New Mexico took advantage, assembling an 8-0 run to pull ahead 72-67 with 3:17 to go.
Freddy Lee’s layup at the 1:37 mark was Arkansas Tech’s lone made field goal the rest of the way. The Wonder Boys missed 10 of their final 11 field goal attempts and shot 34 percent (24-of-71) for the game.
The first 12 minutes of the game saw two ties and five lead changes. Arkansas Tech went on a 10-0 run over a span of 1:23 to claim a 29-20 edge with 6:35 left in the first half.
The Wonder Boys maintained the lead for the remainder of the period, but were unable to separate from the Greyhounds. Eastern New Mexico scored seven of the final nine points of the half to pull within 39-37 at the intermission.
Tech’s Will Adler had 25 points and nine rebounds. Ramses Sandifer added 14 points and nine rebounds and Mason Cline contributed 12 points.
The Wonder Boys will resume the Great American Conference portion of their schedule on Saturday, Dec. 8, with a game at the University of Arkansas-Monticello.
Tip-off at Steelman Fieldhouse is set for 4 p.m. Radio station KCJC 102.3 FM and www.arkansastechsports.com will provide live coverage.
