PORTALES, N.M. – The regionally sixth-ranked Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team is preparing to close out the regular season with a challenging four game road stand, starting with a pair ranked teams in the NCAA South Central region this week in No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday before taking on No. 7 Tarleton State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hounds closed out the home portion of the regular season last week with a pair of wins, first defeating Texas A&M-Kingsville 80-64 on Thursday before following it up with a thrilling come-from-behind 71-67 victory over No. 17 Angelo State.
Against the Javelinas, the Hounds rallied from a 12-9 deficit with an 8-1 run in the final two minutes of the first quarter to take a 17-13 lead. Eastern outscored Kingsville 23-13 in the second quarter, which included a streak of 15 unanswered to lead by as 20 in the second quarter before taking a 40-26 lead into the halftime break. Eastern maintained its double-digit advantage throughout the entire second half to secure the 14-point win.
In the Senior Day game against the Rambelles, Eastern and Angelo battled back and forth in the first half as neither team could grab more than a five-point edge with the Belles taking a slim 31-30 edge into the halftime break. The Rambelles got some separation in the third quarter, outscoring Eastern by a 24-15 margin and holding a 10-point edge over the Hounds heading into the fourth quarter. After trailing by as much as 12 at 57-45 in the fourth period, Eastern rallied with a 17-3 run to take the lead at 62-60 with 4:09 left. After ASU recaptured the lead and the Hounds trailed by one in the final minute, senior forward Treyanna Clay came up with a clutch go-ahead layup off a Zamorye Cox assist to give ENMU the lead for good at 65-64 with 44 seconds left. The Hounds were able to come away with the win by coming up with several big defensive stops and knocking down 6-for-6 from the foul line.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Texas A&M-Commerce enters the week at 16-8overall and are tied for fourth in the Lone Star Conference with an 11-5 record. Commerce has been a tough team to beat at home, as the Lions post a 10-2 home record and have won nine straight in The Field House with their last loss coming to Angelo State 70-64 in the LSC opener on Nov. 29, 2018. Last week, TAMUC split a pair of road games, dropping a 65-59 loss at Tarleton State before bouncing back with a big 69-51 win at Texas Woman’s.
The Lions currently own the second-best scoring offense in the Lone Star and the 27th best in all of NCAA Division II at 76.6 points per game. While Commerce ranks second in scoring offense overall, they are currently the best scoring offense in LSC play, scoring 1.2 ppg more than West Texas A&M in league games. While the Lions have been lethal on the offensive end, they are prone to giving up points, ranking seventh in the conference at 64.4 ppg.
The Lions are led by sophomore guard Chania Wright, averaging 13.0 ppg and ranks third in the Lone Star with 52 made threes. Sophomore forward Agang Tac is the team’s top rebounder (154, 6.4 rpg) as well as shot blocker (22). Senior guard Princess Davis not only leads the team, but ranks second in the Lone Star in assists (120, 5.0 apg).
HISTORY WITH THE LIONS
The Greyhounds own a 34-29 advantage in the all-time series against Texas A&M-Commerce since their first matchup on Jan. 21, 1985. The series has been an even one in the last seven years as Eastern has won eight of the last 15 meetings. In their previous meetup this season in Portales, the Greyhounds were dominant from start to finish, never trailing the Lions and led by as much as 22 in a 90-79 victory. Treyanna Clay led the Hounds with 22 points in the win while Zamorye Cox chipped in a career-high 18 points and Alivia Lewis recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Hounds will be looking to avenge a tough loss in last season’s meeting in Commerce, as senior Mikaehla Connor buried a jumper with six seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but ultimately fell 64-57 in OT.
SCOUTING THE TEXANNS
Tarleton State makes its way into the weekend with an 18-6 overall record and is tied for fourth in the LSC at 11-5. The TexAnns have been tough at Wisdom Gym this season, posting a 12-1 mark at home with the lone loss coming to Angelo State 75-64 on Dec. 1, 2019. The TexAnns have won five straight heading into their Thursday matchup with the Lady Buffs, picking up a 65-59 win over Commerce last week before pulling out a 58-57 win at Texas Woman’s on Saturday.
In Lone Star play, TSU holds the fifth-best scoring offense at 69.4 ppg, but has the second-best scoring defense in the conference, giving up just 62.1 ppg. Senior guard McKinley Bostad is the team’s best scoring threat, ranking fifth in the LSC at 15.0 ppg and shooting at a 46.6 percent clip while converting 84-of-103 (81.6 percent) from the foul line. Bostad is also the team’s best offensive facilitator, leading the team with 85 assists (3.9 apg). Junior forward Mackenzie Hailey leads the team in rebounding (170, 7.1 rpg), the fifth-most in the LSC.
HISTORY WITH THE TEXANNS
Entering the historic 50th all-time meeting, Tarleton State owns a 32-17 edge in the all-time series. However, the Hounds have performed well as of late against the TexAnns, winning five of the last six meetings. In their previous matchup earlier this season, the Hounds trailed by four at 60-56 in the fourth quarter, but rallied with a 17-7 run over the final 6:33 to come away with the 73-67 win. The Greyhounds have won the last two games in Stephenville, Texas, including a 78-72 overtime win in last season’s matchup. Connor came up with the game-tying shot at the end of regulation once again for Eastern before outscoring the TexAnns 14-8 in the overtime period to secure the win.
SENIOR SENDOFF
Last Saturday, the Greyhounds honored their three seniors, Treyanna Clay, Dasia Johnson, and Shelby Jones prior to tip-off. The three seniors played their final game inside Greyhound Arena and have made strong contributions toward the Hounds success this season.
Clay, a forward from Tucson, Ariz. is the team’s leading scorer (16.2 ppg) and leading stealer (49, 2.0 spg). Clay is averaging a league-leading 17.9 ppg in conference games and is also the LSC’s most prominent free throw shooter with 43 more makes and 51 more attempts than the next closest player.
While Johnson’s season was cut short due to injury, she’s made a major impact both on-and-off the court. Through the first nine games of the season, The Hutto, Texas native was the team’s leading passer (39 assists, 4.3 apg), second in three-point shooting (12-of-25, 48 percent) and third in scoring (80 points, 8.9 ppg). Johnson has provided strong leadership from the sideline during the second half of the season.
In her fourth season with the Hounds, Jones has been a big contributor to the Hounds from the mid-post as a shooter and a passer. The Clovis, N.M. native is shooting 44.6 percent from the field in her final season while ranking second on the team in assists (55, 2.3 apg) and is tied with Clay for second in rebounds (133, 5.5 rpg).
HOME SWEET HOME
The 2018-19 season has been a memorable one at home for the ENMU. With the win over Angelo State, Eastern finished with a 12-1 record inside Greyhound Arena. It is the fifth time in program history that the Hounds finished with just one loss at home and the first time since the 1994-95 campaign. The 12 wins also set the most home wins in program history, breaking the previous best when Eastern went 11-2 inside Greyhound Arena during the 1990-91 season.
APPROACHING MILESTONES
Clay has been setting some strong scoring marks during the season, currently possessing the seventh-most points (389) since 2000 as well as the third-best scoring average (16.2 ppg). However, Clay is also on the brink of setting a pair of major milestones. Clay is currently just 24 points away from 1000 career points scored between her one season at ENMU and three seasons at Iona. She is also approaching an ENMU record as she is 48 free throw makes away from tying Jennifer Goble’s program record of 174 set during the 1990-91 campaign.
IN THE HUNT
With the two wins last week and a pair of Angelo State losses at West Texas A&M and to the Hounds, the three teams are currently deadlocked in a tie at the top of the Lone Star Conference standings. The Hounds will be tested in the final four games of the season, taking on three top five teams in the LSC in a six-day stretch, including a Tuesday night bout at West Texas A&M.
REGIONAL RECOGNITION
In the first official, NCAA Division II South Central regional rankings released on Wednesday, the Hounds come in with the No. 6 ranking. After conference tournament play, the top eight teams from the LSC, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferece (RMAC), and the Heartland Conference (HC) will be selected to compete in South Central Regional Tournament. Five LSC teams were ranked in the poll, with West Texas A&M at No. 4, Angelo State at No. 5, Tarleton State at No. 7 and Texas A&M-Commerce in ninth.
