PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico women's basketball team will look to get back on-track in their toughest matchup of the season on Monday as the Hounds will travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Lubbock Christian at 2 p.m. on the final day of 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
Eastern dropped a heartbreaking 97-96 decision back on Dec. 17 at Oklahoma Christian that snapped ENMU's five-game winning streak. The Hounds trailed 95-91 with 37 seconds to go, but junior guard Tilasha Okey buried a big three-pointer with 28 seconds left to trim the deficit to one. After the Eagles knocked down a free throw to stretch the lead back to two, the Hounds got a big answer with a fastbreak layup by senior forward Treyanna Clay to lock the game up at 96-all with 23 seconds remaining. However, OCU managed to draw a foul with five seconds left and the Eagles' Maddison Collyer made a free throw to seal the victory for Oklahoma Christian.
The Hounds couldn't find an answer for All-American Addy Clift, who scored a career-high 44 points while Katie Mayo also added a career-best 32 points for the Eagles.
Clay managed to put up a career-best game for the Hounds with a 25-point effort on 9-of-15 shooting and went 7-for-7 from the charity stripe to go with a season-high eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Alivia Lewis added 13 points and six boards while freshman guard Zamorye Cox and Okey each added 12 points apiece.
SCOUTING THE LADY CHAPPARALS
Lubbock Christian enters the matchup with a 9-4 overall record and is currently ranked ninth in the D2SIDA South Central Regional Rankings. The last time the Lady Chaps were in-action was at the Viking Holiday Hoops Classic in Bellingham, Wash. on Dec. 17-18. LCU opened the tournament with a 67-54 win over Western Washington before following it up with a 70-64 win over Simon Frasier.
Leading the Lady Chaps offensive attack is senior guard Olivia Robertson, averaging 16.1 points per game on 48 percent shooting, including 45 percent from behind the arc and 87 percent of her free throw attempts. Robertson also leads the team with 83 rebounds, ripping down 6.4 per contest and is second on the team with 25 steals.
Allie Schulte and Maddi Chitsey round out the double-figure scorers for Lubbock Christian with each possessing a 10.9 and 10.8 ppg average. Schulte is the team's top passer, dishing out 47 assists with a 3.6 assists per game average and Chitsey is the team's top shot blocker with 18.
HISTORY WITH THE LADY CHAPPARALS
The Greyhounds maintain a 25-15 edge over Lubbock Christian in the all-time series dating back to 1979, however, the Hounds will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak over the regional powerhouse and 2016 National Champions.
The last time ENMU defeated the Lady Chaps came in a 73-69 exhibition win on Nov. 9, 2010 in Portales, but, the Hounds will also be looking to snap a five-game losing streak in Lubbock with their last win coming in a 70-58 decision on Jan. 6, 1992.
FRESH(MAN) AND HOME-GROWN
The Hounds have been getting remarkable production out of Cox, their freshman guard from Portales. Cox has been solid both offensively and defensively for ENMU through the first nine games, ranking second on the team in assists (26), three-point field goals made (13), and steals (17). Cox has played a larger role scoring for Eastern in the last four games, scoring in double-figures in three of the last four contests and is averaging 11.3 ppg during that stretch. Cox made a career-best four three-point field goals in the loss at Oklahoma Christian.
RAINING THREES
Eastern has found their three-point stroke in the last two games, knocking down 13 three-pointers in each of the last two contests. The Hounds made 13-of-24 (54 percent) from behind the arc in their 104-44 win over Northern New Mexico on Dec. 8 before going 13-for-28 (46 percent) in the loss at OCU. Okey in-particular has been on-fire from behind the arc, knocking down 9-of-12 (75 percent) in the last two games after starting out 12-of-43 (29 percent) through the first seven games.
STRONG OFFENSIVE MOLD
In her first year with the program, Clay has molded into an offensive force for the Hounds in the last four games. Clay has scored 13 or more points in the last four contests and in the Hounds' last matchup against Oklahoma Christian, Clay became the first Greyhound to score more than 20 points in a single game with 25 points against the Lady Eagles. The last Greyhound to score at least 25 points in a game was current Graduate Assistant Coach Mikaehla Connor, who came away with 25 points in a 76-72 win in overtime at Angelo State on Jan. 21, 2017. One aspect of her game that has made Clay a dangerous offensive threat is her ability to not only get to the free throw line, but capitalize on the opportunities. She is 33-of-44 (75 percent) from the free throw line and possesses the second-best free throw percentage of players who have attempted at least 40 free throws in the Lone Star Conference.
