Women's Basketball | 12/5/2016 2:47:00 PM
Monday, December 5, 2016
PORTALES, NM —For their historic start to conference play last weekend, the Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team earned multiple awards from the Lone Star Conference. On Monday afternoon, the Lone Star Conference released its weekly awards, with the Greyhounds'
Mikaehla Connor earning Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week, while
Daeshi McCants was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Week.
On Saturday, the duo helped the Greyhounds rally from a 12-point deficit to the team's first road win over West Texas A&M since January 19, 1981. The victory also marked the seventh-ranked Lady Buff's third home loss since the beginning of the 2013-14 season. The pair also helped Eastern rally for a win in the conference opener after University of Texas of the Permian Basin came back from a 19-point deficit. Currently, ENMU is the only of four teams undefeated in LSC play, to not host a league game.
McCants is the first ENMU player to garner LSC defensive honors since
Sarah Stinnett, early last December. Connor is the first player from Eastern to earn offensive honors since Tori Tucker, on February 23, 2015.
McCants performance helped Eastern limit the opposition to just 64 points per game in contests against UT Permian Basin and seventh-ranked West Texas A&M. In the Greyhounds win WT, she poured in a season-best 20 points, rejected three shots, and collected five rebounds. Her performance helped limit the Lady Buffs to just eight second-half field goals with one from three-point range. On Thursday, McCants free throw with 20 seconds left snapped a 61-all tie and lifted ENMU to a win over UTPB. She scored nine points, snared nine caroms and blocked a shot. McCant's blocked shot came with 4:29 left in the game and ENMU clinging to a one-point lead.
On Saturday, Connor's career-best 19-point effort included a 3-for-4 effort outside the three-point line in a come-from-behind win over West Texas A&M. Her final basket of the day came on a three-point shot with 1:47 remaining to give the Hounds the lead for good. On Thursday against UT Permian Basin, she poured in 16 points, which included 11 points in the second half. For the game, she committed just one turnover and connected on all five free-throw attempts.
The Eastern New Mexico University women's basketball team will return to action on Thursday, to host Texas A&M-Commerce. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
