ACOMA PUEBLO, N.M. — A Chad Johnson (Jr., Antioch, Calif./San Jose CC) lay-up snapped a 69-all tie with 2:30 remaining and the Eastern New Mexico University men’s basketball team (1-1) hit seven of their final eleven free throws to seal a 78-72 victory over Western New Mexico University (0-1) Saturday night in the Sky City Classic at Laguna-Acoma high school. The meeting was the first between the teams since the Hounds picked up a 75-61 win on November 19, 2001, at The Pit.

Marquis Ruffin (Jr., G, Powder Springs, Ga.) hit a free throw with 13:40 left in the second half to give ENMU its largest lead of the game, 55-44. A three-pointer from Trey Clarkson sparked a 16-3 WNMU run that spanned 5:34 and gave the Mustangs their final lead of the game, 60-58, on a lay-up from DJ Nicholas with 7:50 left. The Hounds tied the game on a pair of Kendall Clark (Sr., F, Kansas City, Kan./South Plains JC) free throws. Neither team could sustain momentum at that point, as the score would be tied twice more before Johnson would score to give ENMU a lead it would not relinquish.

In the opening half, the teams traded baskets until the Hounds exploded on a 16-6 run capped by a three-pointer from Justin Redman-Trotter (Sr., G, Milwaukee, Wis./Northern Iowa CC), erasing a 16-13 deficit and building a 29-22 lead. Western responded with a 15-9 run, trimming Eastern’s lead to one point, but Travis Cooper’s (Jr., F, Fayetteville, La./Clinton JC) gave the Hounds a 40-37 edge at halftime.

Eastern held a 33-24 rebounding advantage including a decisive 12-5 edge on the offensive glass. The differential proved critical, as the Hounds outscored WNMU 12-4 on second chance opportunities. The two teams combined to hit a sizzling 55.3 percent of their shots, but ENMU held a 57.1-35.3 percent edge in shots from beyond the three-point line. The Hounds hit 20 of their 33 attempts from the free throw line, while the Mustangs hit 12 of 25 from the charity stripe.

Redman-Trotter turned in a stellar performance for Eastern, pouring in a career-high 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Jamaal McCoy (Jr., G, Missouri City, Texas/Navarro JC) and Clark each had 12 points, while Kevin Davis (Larue, Texas/Western Oklahoma State) recorded 10 points. The Mustangs were paced by Nicholas’ 21 points and eight rebounds, while Clarkson had 16 points.

The Eastern New Mexico University men’s basketball team will host New Mexico Highlands University on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. MST.