PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team is preparing to face another challenge against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents at the West Texas A&M Thanksgiving Classic over the holiday break. The Hounds will open the challenge on Friday with an 11 a.m. bout against Colorado State-Pueblo before facing New Mexico Highlands on Saturday at 11 a.m.in a rematch of their Lone Star/RMAC Challenge meetup.
SCOUTING THE THUNDERWOLVES
CSU-Pueblo enters the tournament after being picked to finish in a tie for fourth in the RMAC and going 2-2 in its first two regular season games. The Pack opened the season with a 77-68 win at ENMU’s LSC rival Texas-A&M-Commerce before dropping a hard-fought 78-74 loss to No. 10 Lubbock Christian. Since that loss, CSU-P has split a pair of games against Montana Western.
Pueblo possesses a balanced scoring attack that features five players averaging double-figures through the first four games. Senior forward Lauren Heyn leads the team with a 13.5 points per game average through the first two games, but did not see action in the Pack’s most recent contests against Montana Western. Freshman guard JaNaiya Davis is second on the team, scoring at a 13.3 ppg clip while also leading the squad with 15 assists. Junior guard/forward Khiya Adams comes into the matchup with a 12.5 ppg average and leads the team with 31 rebounds at a 7.8 per game clip.
The Thunderwolves are currently the third-best shooting team in the RMAC, scoring buckets at a 45-percent clip, but struggle from three-point range at 28-percent.
HISTORY WITH THE THUNDERWOLVES
Pueblo holds a slight edge in the all-time series with a 7-6 record, but the Hounds were able to snap a five-game losing streak to the Thunderwolves their last time out. The two teams last met on Nov. 24, 2017 at the WTAMU Thanksgiving Classic as the Hounds pulled out a dramatic 62-61 win over CSU-Pueblo.
In that matchup, ENMU forward Alivia Lewis knocked down a pair of clutch free throws to put the Hounds ahead by one with 43 seconds remaining. On the Thunderwolves next possession, the Hounds were able to prevent CSU-P from converting on two separate shots, including a jumper at the buzzer to come away with the victory. The free throws converted by Lewis gave her a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, which was the first double-double of her ENMU career.
SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
New Mexico Highlands comes into the weekend with a 2-3 record. After the Cowgirls dropped their season-openers to the Hounds and Western New Mexico in the LSC/RMAC Challenge, NMHU won a pair of games over the University of the Southwest before dropping a 77-64 decision at home against Fort Lewis on Monday.
The Cowgirls have struggled on the offensive end through their first five games, only scoring at a 53.8 ppg clip. However, they have found steady production out of sophomore guard Jordyn Lewis, who is averaging 14 ppg. Following the LSC/RMAC Challenge where the Hounds held her to just six points and 10 turnovers and scoring one point against the Mustangs, Lewis has scored 20 or more points in each of the last three games. Sophomore forward DeAvion Allen is the team’s leading rebounder at a 7.2 rpg clip while also leading the team with 11 assists, averaging 2.2 per contest.
HISTORY WITH THE COWGIRLS
The Hounds lead the all-time series with a 40-10 mark dating back to their first meeting in 1975. The two teams faced each other in the season-opener back on Nov. 9 as Eastern handed the Cowgirls a 66-38 defeat in the LSC/RMAC Challenge.
In that matchup, the Hounds forced NMHU into committing a season-high 32 turnovers, which was the most turnovers ever forced by a Josh Prockcoached team in his six years at Eastern. The last time the Greyhounds forced 30 or more turnovers in a game was back on Nov. 22, 2005 when ENMU forced Western New Mexico into committing 38 turnovers in an 87-52 victory in Portales.
SOPHOMORE SENSATION
In her second season with the Hounds, Lewis has taken some big steps on the defensive end. The sophomore from Albuquerque, N.M. is currently averaging a team-leading eight rebounds per game, including 4.6 defensive board per matchup while also commanding the team-lead with seven steals and four blocked shots. Through the first two weeks of the season, Lewis ranks third in the LSC with a 1.3 blocked shots per game average while ranking sixth in the league with 2.3 steals per contest.
FRIGID FIELD
The Hounds are looking to snap out a shooting slump at this weekend’s tournament. Through the first three games, the Greyhounds are shooting at a 32-percent clip, which ranks last in the LSC. However, the Hounds are hopeful that skid will end soon as Eastern has had recent success at the First United Bank Center in Canyon, Texas. In their three matches at that venue last season, Eastern won all three games and shot 41-percent from the floor.
MAKING A LIVING AT THE LINE
Despite the Hounds recent shooting struggles, they’ve managed to perform very well from the free throw line. Senior forward Treyanna Clay leads the LSC, attempting six free throws per game and converting on 72-percent of her tries. Lewis and freshman forward Kamirah Decker have also taken advantage of their opportunities at the line, converting on 86-percent and 83-percent of their attempts respectively.
