PORTALES, NEW MEXICO – The Eastern New Mexico men’s basketball team led for only nine seconds in their game on Thursday night with visiting Texas A&M-Kingsville, but it was enough to get a 60-56 Lone Star Conference victory.

The Javelinas (8-11, 3-7) rode a strong first half from Robert Williams (Dallas/Kimball HS) and outstanding defense to take a 25-19 lead at halftime. Williams scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and was 9-of-10 at the foul line. On defense, the team limited the Greyhounds (12-8, 5-6) to 28.6 percent shooting and forced them into 15 turnovers.

Marcus Ford (Colorado Springs, CO/Mesa Ridge HS) caught fire for the Javelinas in the second half hitting a trio of three-pointers within a six-minute span. His last three-pointer gave the Javs a 53-43 lead with 6:10 remaining in the game.

The Greyhounds would dominate down the stretch as they closed the game on a 17-3 run.

The Hoggies still held a 56-54 lead with 1:24 remaining after Derryl Nash (Austin/Elgin HS) made 1-of-2 free throws. Reggie Nelson tied the game up 13 seconds later on a lay-up. The game remained tied until Devone Davis hit a jumper with nine ticks left on the clock. The Javs turned the ball over and were forced to foul Nelson who iced the game by making a pair of free throws.

The Javelinas shot 33.3 percent from the field, made 6-of-17 from three-point range and were 16-for-21 at the foul line. Williams finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds while making 12-of-14 from the foul line. Ford tallied a season-high 18 points and grabbed five boards. Reid Wallace (Spring/Tomball HS) and Ryan Layssard (Opelousas, LA/Opelousas HS) each had four steals.

The Greyhounds shot 58.3 percent from the field in the second half and finished the game shooting 44.4 percent. They made 4-of-17 from three-point range and were 16-for-27 at the charity stripe. Nelson finished with 18 points while Curtis Wilkinson had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Davis came off the bench to score 11 points, including the game-winner. They pulled down six more rebounds than the Javelinas, but committed four more turnovers.

The Javelinas are back in action on Saturday at West Texas A&M at 6 p.m.
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