The Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team officially opens its 2018-19 campaign tonight at 7:30 p.m. as the Hounds travel to Tucson, Ariz. to take on the University of Arizona in exhibition play.
The Hounds are playing the Wildcats after being picked to finish fifth in last week’s Lone Star Conference preseason poll. Eastern is coming off yet another successful season under head coach Josh Prock, who led the Hounds to a 16-12 record and a tie for fourth in the LSC with a 12-8 mark. It was the first time the Hounds had back-to-back winning seasons since the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons, when the Hounds finished 15-12 and 17-10 respectively.
Eastern will be looking to get strong leadership from its three seniors: Shelby Jones, Dasia Johnson and Treyanna Clay this season. Last season, Jones appeared in 26 games and made 24 starts, averaging 7.5 points per game and was second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.7 per contest.
Johnson also makes her return to the team after appearing in all 27 games and making 26 starts during the 2017-18 campaign. Johnson was the team’s top passer last year, dishing out a team-high 2.4 assists per game while also leading the team in free throw percentage (89-percent) and was one of the team’s top three-point shooters (33-percent).
The Hounds will also be looking for big contributions from Clay, a senior transfer from NCAA Division I Iona this season. Last season for the Gaels, Clay started in 28 games and led the team with 71 assists (2.5 assists per game), finished third on the team in scoring (10 points per game) and was third in rebounds, averaging 4.8 per contest.
Eastern is facing its Pac-12 counterpart for the second year in a row in exhibition play. In last season’s exhibition match on Oct. 30, 2017, the Hounds were competitive in 69-50 loss to the Wildcats. The Greyhounds held a 14-13 lead after the opening quarter and trailed by just nine going into the fourth quarter. Jones scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and ripped down four rebounds.
