PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico women's basketball will look to avenge a controversial 68-67 loss to West Texas A&M in last year's NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament when the Hounds travel to Canyon, Texas this weekend for their Lone Star Conference opener.

Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. inside First United Bank Center.

LAST WEEK
 
The Hounds are off to their first 3-0 start in 14 seasons after defeating Northern New Mexico 73-62 last Wednesday night. 
 
Eastern trailed by 11 points early in the first quarter, its first deficit of the season, before battling their way back into the contest. The Hounds bench came up big as the reserve players were responsible for 46 of the team's total points, with ten different Hounds recording a bucket in the game while four recorded double-digit scoring figures. Freshman guard Taylor Hall turned in an extremely efficient shooting night, shooting 54 percent from the field while totaling a team-high 16 points. Hall did most of her damage from deep, sinking four of her eight three-point attempts which marks the most made three-point field goals in a game from a Greyhound player this season. Redshirt-freshman Natalie Stice finished second on the team in scoring with 13 points and also pulled down five rebounds and recorded a pair of steals. Stice knocked down three three-pointers and consistently got herself to the free throw line, making four of five shots from the charity stripe. Senior post player Jasmine Williams tallied her first double-double at the Division II level as she recorded 11 points on a five of eight shooting night while also corralling a game-high ten rebounds. Senior center and team points leader Natalie DeLonge added ten points and added six rebounds, a block and a steal. DeLonge transferred to ENMU from Western Oregon where she totaled 626 points and has added 40 so far in 2019. With 25 games left on the docket, the Klamath Halls, Ore. native will have to average 13.36 points per game to reach 1,000 points for her career. DeLonge is currently averaging 13.33 points through the first three games.
 
SCOUTING THE BUFFS

After dropping their first two games of the season, the Lady Buffs have been red-hot these past two weeks after winning four consecutive games following a 62-60 victory over East Central last week.
 
The Buffs are under the leadership of fifth-year Head Coach Kristen Mattio. She has compiled a 112-23 overall record with a 83% winning percentage. Mattio is the second fastest head coach in program history to reach 100 wins.
 
WT boasts a well-balanced offense with three players averaging double-digit scoring figures. Sophomore forward Braylyn Dollar leads the team with 10.5 points and 5.2 assists per game with a .459 field goal percentage. Sophomore guard Delaney Nix has been lighting it up from three-point range and leads the conference with 13 made field goals from beyond the arch with a .371 three-point shooting percentage. Junior post player Abby Spurgin is averaging 10.2 points and has recorded the fourth-most offensive rebounds in the Lone Star Conference with 12.
 
Spurgin is also a dynamic defender, averaging two blocks per game and ranks second in the LSC with 12 blocked shots. Playing opposite of Spurgin is the conference's total blocks leader senior post player Tiana Parker. Parker has posted 14 blocks in the early part of the season and averages 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
 
Despite enjoying a four-game winning streak West Texas ranks towards the bottom of the LSC in points per game, out-scoring their opponents on average by a single point. The Buffs average the fifth-least points per game, scoring 60.2 points per contest while surrendering 59.2.
 
Chairwomen of the Boards
 
The Green and Silver continue to crash the boards, utilizing their size and athletic ability to their advantage. The Hounds have posted a 15.7 rebound margin, the ninth-best in Division II women's basketball and average 48 boards per game which is tied for the 14th-most in the nation.
 
SAME HOUNDS, NEW LOOK
 
The Greyhounds return 11 players from last year's team including three starters while Coach Prock adds seven new players to the 2019-20 roster. With four transfers and three true freshmen joining the team, the Greyhounds strengthen their lineup and bolster their depth coming off the bench.
 
Two players that have made immediate impacts are junior Anasha Hurst and senior Jasmine Williams. A 5-8 guard from St. Louis, Mo, Hurst joins the Green and Silver after spending the last two seasons at Kirkwood Community College. Hurst averaged 8.7 points, 2.7 assists and two steals per game as a sophomore and was named First Team All-Region and also led her squad to a NJCAA National Championship game. As a Greyhound, Hurst has started every game in the early part of the season for Head Coach Josh Prock and has logged 66 minutes while averaging four points, four rebounds and a steal per game. A 6-0 post player from Wichita Falls, Texas, Williams joins the Hounds after spending the last season at South Carolina State. Williams averaged 15.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game which ranked 14th and eighth respectively in the nation amongst NJCAA women's basketball participants during her junior campaign. Williams garnered First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region honors for her efforts. Williams has provided the Hounds with an efficient option coming off the bench as she has averaged five points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
 
SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
 
The Green and Silver return to Canyon, Texas next week as they compete in the WT Pak-A-Sak Thanksgiving Classic, taking on Adams State Friday, Nov. 29 and CSU-Pueblo on Saturday, Nov. 30.
 
ENMU fans can get their first look at the team on Thursday, Dec. 5 when the Greyhounds host Northern New Mexico, at 11 a.m. in the home opener. Children from several local schools will be an attendance as the game will also be the program's sixth annual Youth Day Game.
 
HOUNDS ON THE ROAD
 
Last season the Green and Silver posted a 5-8 mark when playing outside of Greyhound Arena, stumbling a bit in road contests towards the end of the season going 1-4 in their last five away games. So far this season the Hounds have posted a flawless 2-0 record when packing their bags and taking the court outside of Greyhound Arena. The Hounds have limited their opponent to 62 points in true road contests this season and have out-scored their opponents by an average of nine points.
 
CONFERENCE LEADERS
 
Through three games, the Hounds have established themselves as one of the most efficient teams in the Lone Star when it comes to offensive and defensive shooting percentage.  Offensively, Eastern ranks second with a .456 team shooting percentage while limiting its opponents to a .340 shooting percentage, the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
 
The Hounds also boast some of the best individual players in the conference as sophomore Zamorye Cox leads the conference with 6.3 assists per game while DeLonge holds the fourth-best shooting percentage in the LSC, converting on .517 percent of her field goal attempts. Junior Alivia Lewis has established herself as one of the most fearsome defenders in the league as ranks fourth in both blocks per game (2.3) and rebounds per game (9.3).