Women’s Basketball  Ryan Shumaker

 Moment number six on our “Top Ten Moments of 2019-20” series is a combination of events as the Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team submitted the 2019-20 squad as the best defensive and rebounding unit in Greyhound women’s basketball history.

The Hounds finished the season with a record of 22-9 and the program’s third selection into the South Central Regional Tournament in the past four seasons, earning the no. 7 seed in a match up that was set to take place against no. 2 seeded Texas A&M-Commerce prior to the tournament being cancelled. Eastern relied on a stout defense and efficient rebounding all season, setting the school record for scoring defense (59.3 ppg) and total rebounds (1,392) in the process.

The defensive effort for the Hounds was never better than the three games at the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament, during which time the Hounds solidified the defensive scoring record, allowing just 52, 62 and 68 points in the three games against Oklahoma Christian, Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Commerce. The Hounds finished the season ranked fifth in the LSC in scoring defense and third in field goal percentage defense (36 percent).

Sophomore Zamorye Cox was a vital piece to that defensive effort, earning All-LSC Second Team honors after setting the Eastern New Mexico school record with 83 steals for the year. She was named to the Lone Star Conference All-Tournament team after averaging 19.7 points and 6.3 assists per contest and proved to be the league’s top perimeter defender, leading the league with an average of 2.7 steals per contest.

That consistent defensive pressure combined with a record year on the glass allowed the Hounds to post the second-best record in the 45-year history of the program. Eastern New Mexico finished the season ranked third in the LSC in rebounding margin at +8.0, and led the league in defensive rebounds with an average of 29.1 boards per contest.

The Hounds broke that rebounding mark back on Mar. 3 inside Greyhound Arena in the first round of the LSC Postseason Tournament in a 70-52 win over Oklahoma Christian. Eastern New Mexico recorded a season high 68 rebounds on that night, including an absurd 46 defensive rebounds, and cemented the 2019-20 team as the best rebounding team in program history.

The 1,392 total rebounds are 144 rebounds more than the next closest highest season total in the history of the program. Junior Alivia Lewis and senior Natalie DeLonge were the primary rebounding threats night in and night out, and were both selected to the All-LSC Second Team at season’s end.

Lewis will enter her final season with the Hounds ranked third on the school’s all-time rebounding list with 663 boards for her career, and has posted two seasons in which her rebounding total has ranked in the top-five of the program’s single-season rebounding record book. DeLonge averaged 6.2 rebounds per game and recorded four double-doubles for the season.

Both Lewis and Cox will return for the 2020-21 campaign for the Hounds on a squad that figures to continue to hold strengths in rebounding and defensive efforts.

PLAYERS MENTIONED