Pullum_Devin_WT

Men's Basketball

Greyhound Men Head Out Of Town For Two LSC Matchups

Portales, NM – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball is on the road this week where they will first take on the Western New Mexico Mustangs on Jan. 9th, then the UTPB Falcons Jan. 11.

LAST WEEK
Eastern New Mexico rang in the New Year welcoming rival West Texas A&M to the Greyhound Arena last Saturday, but were unable to secure a win falling 76-71 to the Buffs. Hounds started off strong in the first quarter jumping out to a 7-0 lead with the help of two steals. Eastern New Mexico kept a close eye on the Buffs in the first half, forcing six turnovers and tying the game three times. 
 
Coming into the second half of play, the Greyhounds continued their first half momentum and slowly climbed their way back into the lead. With two minutes left on the clock, the Hounds negated a 14 point deficit and tied the game at 68-68. The Hounds limited the Buffs to a 34.6 three-point mark from three points range, only allowing them to connect on 9-for-26 from beyond the arc.  Eastern New Mexico recorded their second highest rebounding total of the season, dominating the glass against the Buffs, 48-to-33.
 
Junior Jose Serrano finished the night leading the Hounds in points scoring 16 and also recorded five rebounds. The junior transfer guard/forward from Venezuela has reached double digits in three separate games this season averaging 7.8 points a game. Senior Deng Kuany marked a career high ten rebounds and almost recorded a double double as he also scored eight points for the contest. Junior Devin Pullum ended the night with ten points, four rebounds and dished out two assists.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

Western New Mexico Mustangs
 The Mustangs had a rough start in the beginning of the season and did not see their first win until December. Two exhibition games started off the season and the Mustangs were on a five game loosing streak. In their first win of the season, the Mustangs forced MSU to 19 turnovers while Cj Vanbeekum finished the night with 22 points, four steals, and seven rebounds.
 
Head coach Matt Enriquez is a familiar face with the Mustangs. A former player, and former interim head coach of the women's basketball program, Enriquez became the men's head coach in April of 2016.  The Mustangs impress from the charity line with five players shooting over 80%. 
 
The Mustangs are led by Elijah Holifield who is averaging 14.4 points per game totaling 115 this season. Holifield shot 24 points against. Ian Hoestein leads the Mustangs from beyond the arc connecting on 10-for-15 field goals calculating a .667 percent.
 
UT Permian Basin Falcons
UTPB started off the season picked eighth in the 2019-20 LSC preseason poll. The Falcons led the Lone Star Conference in a number of offensive categories in 2018-19 and averaged a league-best 85.3 points per game. The Falcons were also league-leaders in field goal percentage (49.4), 3-point field goal percentage (38.0), and defensive rebounds per game (28.3).The Falcons have added five Division 1 transfers to wrap up their sixteen member team.  In his second season as head coach, Josh Newman is coming off a 15-14 2018-19 season where the Falcons placed seventh in the LSC.
 
The Falcons are led by Pat Dembley, one of the transfers who has already put up 359 points this season. Averaging 22.4 points a game, Dembley is shooting a .832 percent from the free-throw line and is ranked at the No. 2 spot in the LSC for scoring. Dembley also leads the Falcons in steals, recording 38 this season, and assists with 76 this season.  Senior Miles Washington is the big man down below. Leading the Falcons in rebounding Washington has recorded 87 total this season averaging 5.7 a game.
 
A CRITICAL ROAD TRIP
Eastern New Mexico will take on Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin this weekend in key divisional games for all three programs. West Texas A&M, Angelo State and Lubbock Christian have seperated themselves as the top teams in the division with UT Permian Basin, Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico all sitting in the four-through-six spots in the divisional standings. Two wins for the Hounds this weekend would even their divisional record up at 2-2 and put them in position to get back into the thick of things next weekend when they welcome Lubbock Christian and Angelo State to Greyhound Arena.
 
MAKE EM WHEN IT COUNTS
The Greyhounds currently rank fourth in the Lone Star Conference with a team three-point shooting percentage of 37.4 percent on the season. The Hounds have attempted just 182 shots from beyond the arc on the year, the least amount of attempts from three point range of any team in the league this season. Four different Hounds will enter this week's contest with a three-point shooting percentage of better than 40 percent, including Pullum, who has connected on 23-of-57 attempts (40.4 percent) so far this season.
 
Western New Mexico currently ranks last in the LSC in three-point field goal percentage defense (38.5 percent), setting the stage for the Hounds to use their efficient three-point performance as a key advantage this weekend.
 
THE G MAN
Junior Garrick Sherrod has quietly worked his way into an impactful role this season and was a key contributor to the Hound's late comeback against West Texas A&M last Saturday afternoon. The guard finished with 10 points, his second highest point total of the season after netting 17 back on Nov. 30th against Regis, and ranks  fifth in the Lone Star Conference with a free throw percentage of 77.8 percent (28-of-36) for the year.
 
Sherrod ranks second on the squad in free throw attempts on the year behind Pullum, totaling 36 so far this season. His growing confidence and ability to drive the lane has provided opposing defenses fits in recent games.
 
LET's GET MORE OF THAT
Eastern New Mexico absolutely dominated West Texas A&M on the boards last Saturday afternoon as the Hounds finished the contest with a +15 rebounding margin for the game. That +15 margin is the best rebounding margin Eastern New Mexico has produced since a 96-83 loss against St. Edward's back on Nov. 24th, 2011.
 
The strong performance on the glass against the Buffs moved the Hound's rebounding margin for the season back into the positives at +0.8 for the season, the sixth best margin in the LSC this year. UT Permian Basin will enter the weekend ranked 10th with a margin of -0.1, while Western New Mexico ranks last with a margin of -5.7.
 
CONFERENCE IMPROVEMENT
It is no secret that the Hounds have finally turned the corner and are playing their best basketball as we head into the heart of the conference schedule. One of the key factors in the improved play of the Hounds has been the improvement on the defensive side of the ball. The Hounds rank fifth in the league against conference competition with a field goal percentage defense of 43.2 percent (159-of-368) and eighth in scoring defense (73.3 ppg). These improved defensive figures will be vital as the Hounds look to jump back into the heart of the LSC standings.
 
The Hounds return to Greyhound Arena on Jan. 16, where they welcome Lubbock Christian. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
 

Players Mentioned

Devin Pullum

#10 Devin Pullum

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Garrick Sherrod

#0 Garrick Sherrod

G
5' 9"
Sophomore
Deng Kuany

#20 Deng Kuany

F
6' 7"
Junior
Jose Serrano

#0 Jose Serrano

G/F
6' 7"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Devin Pullum

#10 Devin Pullum

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Garrick Sherrod

#0 Garrick Sherrod

5' 9"
Sophomore
G
Deng Kuany

#20 Deng Kuany

6' 7"
Junior
F
Jose Serrano

#0 Jose Serrano

6' 7"
Junior
G/F