PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico men's basketball team will look to extend its winning streak to four games as the Hounds travel to Denver to take on Regis at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Greyhounds will be returning to the floor for the first time in 15 days. Eastern's last game came on Dec. 4 against Arkansas Tech on the campus of Collin College in Plano, Texas. In that matchup, the Hounds rallied from a seven-point deficit early in the second half, closing out the game with a 13-2 run in the final 6:10 to come away with the 77-69 victory.
The ENMU defense held the Wonder Boys to just 11-of-40 (28-percent) shooting in the second half and 5-for-23 (22-percent) from three-point range.
Senior guard Nick Brown led the ENMU scoring efforts with 21 points while junior forward Darius Sawyer chipped in 14 points and senior guard Zach Parker added 13 points.
SCOUTING THE RANGERS
Regis enters Wednesday's matchup with a 6-4 record overall and a 3-2 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
The Rangers are coming off a pair of road losses in conference play over the weekend, falling 84-80 at UC-Colorado Springs on Saturday before dropping an 80-73 decision at Colorado Mines on Sunday.
Leading the Regis offensive attack is senior guard Jarrett Brodbeck, who ranks seventh in the RMAC at 16.8 points per game. Junior guard Christian Little ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 ppg while leading the team's passing attack with 3.8 assists per game as well as defensive efforts with 18 steals. Sophomore guard Brian Dawson rounds out the double-figure scoring with a 10.1 ppg clip. The Rangers rebounding efforts are led by senior forward Ryan Beisty, pulling down 7.2 boards per contest.
HISTORY WITH THE RANGERS
The Rangers lead the all-time series against the Hounds with a 4-2 record and have won the last three matchups. In the last meeting on Dec. 19, 2017, the Rangers came into Portales and handed the Hounds a 68-61 defeat. Eastern will be seeking its first win over Regis since Jan. 17, 1977 and its first ever win over the Rangers in Denver.
BOUNCING BACK
After opening the season with a tough schedule and starting with a 1-4 record, the Greyhounds have since bounced back to win three straight with a pair of home wins in Lone Star Conference play over MSU Texas and Cameron followed by a non-conference win at a neutral site over Arkansas Tech. The Hounds are seeking their first four game win streak since the 2016-17 season when ENMU defeated Western New Mexico, Midwestern State, Cameron, and Angelo State in consecutive games.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
The senior guard from Pasadena, Calif. has rebounded from a three-point effort against MSU Texas on Nov. 29. In the last two games against Cameron and Arkansas Tech, Brown has scored 40 points combined on 13-of-20 (65-percent) shooting and converted on 8-of-13 (62-percent) on three-point shots and 6-of-7 (86-percent) from the charity stripe. Brown has also been strong on the glass, setting back-to-back season-highs in rebounds with four against the Aggies and five against the Wonder Boys.
THREE'S COMPANY
The Greyhounds have found their three-point stroke during the win streak. The Hounds were only converting on 28-percent from the arc through the first five games with a season-high effort of 35-percent against Jarvis Christian. However, Eastern has converted on 42-percent or better on their three-point shots in each of the last three games. The Hounds went 9-of-20 (45-percent) against MSU Texas, 10-of-24 (42-percent) against Cameron, and 10-of-22 (46-percent) against Arkansas Tech.
BALANCE WITH THE FORCE
Part of the Hounds success thus far this season has stemmed from their balanced scoring efforts. Through the first eight games, six players have scored at least 60 points with no one player scoring more than 100 points. Parker leads the efforts at 11.6 ppg followed by Devin Pullum (10.1 ppg), Chukuka Emili (10.0 ppg), Nick Brown (9.0 ppg), Isaiah Murphy (8.8 ppg), and Maurice Coleman (7.9 ppg).
