Photo by Brian Barrett Photography
Photo by Sports Fanatic Photography
Photo by Scot Stinnett
ENMU Athletics News Women’s Basketball off to Strong Start
After a sweep of in-state rivals New Mexico Highlands, Western New Mexico and Northern New Mexico, the women’s basketball team is ready to open Lone Star Conference play with a 5-5 overall record. The Hounds feature a balanced offense with five players averaging more than seven points per game. So far the squad has displayed a high-paced offensive attack with an equally intense defensive effort. Through 10 games, Eastern has allowed the opposition just 67.8 points per game and has blocked four shots per contest. Kassandra Harris has been the team’s top scorer with 9.8 points and 4.5 boards per game. Sarah Stinnett, an All-Lone Star Conference performer from last season, is close behind with 9.5 points per game and a team-high 21 assists. Harris poured in 21 points against NCAA Division II powerhouse Lubbock Christian while Miranda Moore had a 16-point game against Fort Lewis. Stinnett garnered LSC Defensive Player of the Week after Eastern posted a 63-41 victory at Western New Mexico. She registered three steals and helped ENMU limit the Mustangs to just 30.2 percent from the field. Eastern limited WNMU to just six points in each of the second and third quarters. After a New Year’s Eve victory over Northern N.M., Eastern will close the home stand with games against Texas Woman’s and Cameron University.
Men’s Basketball Team Showing Improvement
After an 0-3 start, the men’s basketball team earned victories over Colorado Mesa, Nova 14
Green & Silver | February 2016
Southeastern St. Mary’s, and Wayland Baptist. Eastern opens LSC play at home against Cameron University. The LSC schedule should be a tough test for Eastern, as the league sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament last season with Texas A&M-Commerce winning the conference tournament while Tarleton State edged Angelo State for the league crown by a single game. The Texans also reached the Final Four before suffering a four-point loss to Indiana University. The Hounds are averaging 77 points per game, almost seven points ahead of last season’s average. There has also been a significant improvement in the team’s shooting percentage. John Gilliam is averaging a teamhigh 18.4 points per game and shooting .440 from the field. Lawrence Domingo is pulling down 7.8 rebounds per game.
Fall Teams Earn Postseason Bids and Honors
The fall teams saw plenty of postseason action with the women’s cross country team nearly winning the LSC title and the football team playing in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl. The bowl bid marked the first time ENMU’s football team reached the postseason during the NCAA era. The women’s cross country team registered their best-ever finish in conference (second) and placed tenth at NCAA Regionals. The volleyball team qualified for the Lone Star Conference tournament for the third straight season. After winning at least six games for the third straight season, the football team earned postseason play for the first time since the 1983 NAIA playoffs. After facing a 23-7 deficit against Arkansas Tech, the Hounds rallied to within two points before falling by a 51-35 score. Eastern rushed for 248 yards
while Jeremy Burma passed for 255 yards, and Aaron Johnson posted a career-best 146 receiving yards. The women’s cross country team concluded the best performance in team history with three all-conference performers (Azalia Rodriguez, Amber Saiz, and Klaudia Szych) with Trevor Merhege represented the men’s team. The women’s team came within a single-point of LSC champion Tarleton State at the league championship meet and posted the first second-place finish in team history. The squad went on to place tenth at regionals. Szych and Saiz were named to the LSC AllAcademic Team. The football team had 12 players garner All-LSC honors while Jeremy Buurma was chosen as the league’s Co-Academic Player of the Year. First team choices included Kamal Cass, William Jurek, Elliott Peters and Tanner Hightower Wilson. For the women’s soccer team, Melissa Moxley and Danielle Caro both earned Second Team All-LSC honors. Moxley was chosen to the All-Tournament team after the Hounds played in a first-round game. The volleyball team managed to take a set from LSC champion Tarleton State at the tournament with Lauren Frye earning alltournament honors for her efforts. Frye also was named first team all-conference while Andrea Aguilar was chosen second team. Courtney Lawson was named to the LSC AllAcademic Team
