The Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team will host its first Lone Star Conference games of the 2019-20 season when they welcome UAFS this Thursday followed by a game against Oklahoma Christian on Saturday.
LAST WEEK
The Hounds captured their first Lone Star Conference victory after defeating St. Mary’s before falling to regionally ranked St. Edward’s last weekend.
Eastern battled hard against St. Mary’s and was able to grind out a 64-61 win over the Rattlers in a game that came down to the wire. Sophomore point guard Zamorye Cox hauled in a career-high eight rebounds and set the pace offensively for the Hounds as she led the team with 17 points. Junior post player Alivia Lewis recorded 14 points on a six for 12 shooting night and also corralled nine rebounds to go along with a pair of steals and a blocked shot. After cracking the starting lineup for the first time this season, junior guard Laura Rowe did not disappoint in her 25 minutes of action as she added 12 points and six rebounds. The Greyhounds defense was able to force St. Mary’s into 13 turnovers and were able to convert that into 16 points on the other side of the floor. Eastern relied on its height and athleticism the entire game, constantly feeding the ball into the post as the Hounds outscored their opponents 26-16 in the paint.
The Hounds were able to mount a run down the stretch but, the rally came too late as the Hounds fell 78-70 to St. Edward’s Saturday afternoon. Cox scored a career-high 22 points as the Portales High School standout shot 40 percent from beyond the arch and also added seven rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Lewis finished a rebound shy of a double-double, recording 17 points and nine boards. Senior Natalie DeLonge turned in one of her best performances in a Greyhound uniform, tallying 14 points and five rebounds while leading the team with three blocked shots and two steals. Sophomore Kamirah Decker finished as the fourth Eastern player to record double-digit scoring figures and matched her season-high with ten points. The Hounds shot 41.1 percent from the field connecting on 30 of their 73 field goal attempts however, the High Plains squad struggled from the charity stripe connecting on just 50 percent of their free throws and left six points on the line. Eastern did beat the Hilltoppers on the glass totaling 47 rebounds compared to St. Ed’s 40.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
The Lions have lost their past two games after falling to Oklahoma Christian 74-63 last Saturday. UAFS has been unable to secure a single road victory so far this season and are currently 0-4 when playing as the away team.
The Lions have had a rough start to their season and are outscored by an average of 8.2 points and rank third-worst in the LSC when it comes to offensive scoring (60.4) and defensive scoring (68.7) per game. UAFS also puts opponents to the free-throw line at an alarming rate and have surrendered 219 free-throw attempts, the second-most in the league. The Lions do excel at forcing turnovers and have recorded 85 steals and 9.44 per game in their first nine games.
Junior guard Paige Elston leads the Lions offense, averaging 11.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per contest. Freshman guard Ashanti Eden has also impressed in her first collegiate campaign and ranks second on the team with 10.1 points per game.
Defensively, the Lions will look to senior forward Tamera Gulley who ranks fifth in the LSC with 16 blocked shots and has also swiped 13 steals and leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game.
Tari Cummings begins her second season as head women’s basketball coach at UAFS. A native of nearby Pocola, Okla., Cummings is only the fifth head coach in the history of the Lady Lions program and is the first former player to be head coach of the Lady Lions. Cummings, who is a member of the Lions Athletics Hall of Fame, played two seasons for the Lady Lions and served as assistant coach for four seasons under longtime head coach Louis Whorton.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
The Eagles enter the week after defeating UAFS 74-63 last Saturday and are currently undefeated in their three games against Lone Star Conference teams.
Oklahoma Christian has struggled through its first seven games on the defensive side of the floor and allow the second-most points per game as their opponents average 70.4 points when taking the hardwood against the Eagles. OC have been extremely efficient from the free-throw line and have connected on 91 of its 121 attempts from the charity stripe, converting 75.2 percent which ranks third in the conference.
The Eagles offense is highlighted by junior Maddison Collyer who leads the team with 12 points and 6.1 assists per game and has also recorded 14 steals.
Junior forward Katie Mayo is the second scoring option for OC and averages 11.6 points per game with a 42.3 shooting percentage. Mayo has also shown tremendous hustle on the glass and leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per contest while showing an ability to protect the rim as evidenced by her ten blocks.
Sophomore Kendra Levings serves as the team’s best shooter from beyond the arch and leads the team with 15 made three-pointers and converts 39.5 percent of her shots from deep.
The Eagles are led by 35th-year head coach and Oklahoma Christian alum Stephanie Findley. Findley has compiled a 623-436 record and holds the state record for most wins by a women’s basketball coach at a four-year Oklahoma college, setting that record with her 500th win, recorded during the 2010-11 season against Missouri Valley. This season marks the first that OC will compete in the LSC after eight years in the Heartland Conference.
SAME HOUNDS, NEW LOOK
The Greyhounds return 11 players from last year’s team including three starters while Coach Prock added seven new players to the 2019-20 roster. With four transfers and three true freshmen joining the team, the Greyhounds have strengthened their lineup and bolstered their depth coming off the bench.
Two players that have made immediate impacts are seniors Natalie DeLonge and Jasmine Williams. A 6-4 center from Klamath Falls, Ore. DeLonge comes to the High Plains after a decorative career at Western Oregon University. DeLonge has established herself as one of ENMU’s most reliable scorers and ranks third on the squad with 10.3 points per game. A 6-0 post player from Wichita Falls, Texas, Williams joins the Hounds after spending last season at South Carolina State. Williams has provided the Hounds with an efficient option coming off the bench as she has averaged 6.6 points and eight rebounds per game.
SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
The Green and Silver will face nothing but Lone Star Conference competition for the remainder of the regular season.
Eastern will tipoff its three-game homestand this weekend, its longest of the season. The Hounds will take two weeks off due to the Christmas break before returning to Greyhound Arena Saturday, Jan. 4 looking to avenge a loss to arch-rival West Texas A&M which the team suffered earlier this year.
HOUNDS AT HOME
Last season the Hounds were nearly unbeatable when playing in front of the Green and Silver faithful as the 2018-19 squad set the program record with a 12-1 home record. This season, the Greyhounds have played just one game at home, earning a 93-48 victory over Northern New Mexico as the team dominated their cross-state rivals in every facet of the game.
CHAIRWOMEN OF THE BOARDS
Eastern continues to dominant on the glass and not only lead the conference in rebounding but, are also one of the best rebounding teams in all of NCAA Division II women’s basketball. The Hounds rank 17th in the nation with a 45.11 rebound per game, 19th with a 10.8 rebounding margin and 24th with 16 offensive rebounds per game.
CONFERENCE LEADERS
The Hounds boast some of the best individual players in the conference as Cox ranks third in the Lone Star in both assists per game (4.6) and steals per game (2.6). Cox also continues to protect the basketball at an elite level and owns the fifth-best assist/turnover ratio at 1.6, only committing 25 turnovers while dishing out 41 total assists. Lewis leads the conference with 76 total rebounds and third in rebound average with 8.4 per game. Jasmine Williams is fifth with eight rebounds per contest and shows an aptitude to create second chances as she corrals 3.1 offensive rebounds per game.
As a team, the Greyhounds are outscoring their opponents by an average of 10.8 points per contest which is good enough for the fifth-highest mark in the LSC. The Hounds continue to get after the ball defensively and have been limiting their opponents to a .360 team shooting percentage while surrendering just 59.8 points per game which also ranks fifth amongst Lone Star Conference competitors.
