Saturday, February 24, 2018

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS —The trip to Kingsville, Texas, typically is one of the longest of the season for the Eastern New Mexico University men's basketball team. After Maurice Coleman's go-ahead jumper with 27 seconds left, the trip became a part of the journey back to the Lone Star Conference Tournament. ENMU (11-16; LSC 6-12) picked up a 58-56 victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville (12-16; LSC 5-13) in what was a must-win game for both teams.

Repeat Finish

• Just one year ago, the teams met in Portales, with the opportunity to clinch a LSC Tournament spot also on the line
• The game was won by the Javelinas 51-53, as the Hounds missed a potential go-ahead jumper with two seconds left

In the Series

• The win snapped a three-game skid in the series for ENMU to give its first win over the Javelinas since Feb. 3, 2016
• ENMU  is 24-45 against Texas A&M-Kingsville with an 8-26 road record in the series
• Eastern's last road win in the series came in January 2014

 
Key Runs

• After the Hounds took an early 11-8 lead, the Javelinas used a 10-0 run to take an 18-11 advantage midway through the first half
• After TAMUK pushed the lead to eight points, Robert Stevenson was called for a technical foul after a foul was assessed to Johnnathan Linsey
• Coleman drained all four free throws to spark a 14-2 Greyhound run to give ENMU a 32-28 lead
• The game went back and forth in the second half with the Javelinas scoring eight straight points to hold a 56-54 lead with 1:18 left
• With just under one minute remaining, LaMarquis Thompson hit a short jumper to pull the Hounds even
• With 27 seconds left, Coleman hit the game-winning jumper
• TAMUK's Derrick Byrd attempted a game-tying layup with five seconds left, but with Arcaim Lallemand blocking the shot and Thompson pulling in the rebound

In the Numbers

• ENMU held a 26-16 edge in points scored in the paint
• The Hounds shot 81.6 percent from the free-throw line, their highest percentage since a win over Texas A&M-Commerce, earlier in the month
• Shawn Shelton paced ENMU with 12 points
• Coleman finished with 11 points and three assists
• Thompson chipped in seven points and four assists
• Caelan Neal led the Javelinas with 13 points

Up Next

• The Eastern New Mexico University men's basketball team will head to Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas , for next week's Lone Star Conference Championships as the #8 seed
• They will play on Friday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. MT
• ENMU Athletics still has a limited number of free all-session tickets to the tournament. For information, please contact Kim Sites in the athletic office at 575.562.2153 no later than noon MT on Feb. 28