The Eastern New Mexico University men’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 99-89 overtime decision to Dixie State at the Western Oregon/Doubletree by Hilton D2 Shootout on Friday. The Hounds fall to 2-1 on the season after the setback to the Trailblazers who were receiving votes in the most recent polls.
“Tonight’s game was a tough one to swallow,” ENMU Head Coach Tres Segler said. “We had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, and those are always hard when they don’t go your way. We fought ourselves a little tonight; we didn’t get the normal tough stops that we’ve gotten in the past two wins.”
Zach Parker dropped 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including going 5-of-10 from beyond the arc to lead the Green and Silver. Maurice Coleman (18 points), Jamani Pierce (17 points), Lamarquis Thompson (11 points) and Shawn Shelton (10 points) all finished in double figures as ENMU shot nearly 50% from the court in the matchup.
Coleman and Nick Brown did an impressive job of setting up the offense, combining for nine assists to just four turnovers.
“We were excited to see Zach get an offensive rhythm going tonight,” Segler said. “Mo (Coleman) and Nick both distributed the ball very well. We had a bunch of guys in double figures again and I’m very proud that we have many different players who can contribute.”
The game was tightly contested until the final buzzer, featuring four lead changes in the final three minutes of regulation. After surrendering the lead on a three with just over three minutes to go in regulation, Thompson and Coleman earned back-to-back trips to the charity stripe, knocking down all four free throws to regain the lead at 79-78 with 1:54 to go. The following offensive set for the Hounds featured one of Parker’s five threes on the night, forcing the lead to change hands once again at 82-80 with 1:15 on the clock. After Dixie State tied the game, Segler called a timeout with 20 seconds to go. Eastern was unable to get off a shot, forcing overtime.
