Athletic Report
January 12, 1999

GREYHOUND’S BASKETBALL
(7-6, 1-1 LSC South)
The Eastern New Mexico men’s basketball team split a pair of games last week. The Greyhounds lost to Abilene Christian, 98-77, on Thurs., Jan. 7, but rebounded with a 103-95 victory over Angelo State on Sat., Jan. 9.

ENMU is now 7-6 overall and 1-1 in the Lone Star Conference. Junior guard Matt Vail (Grants, NM/Grants H.S.) leads the Greyhounds with 15.8 points per game.

Senior forward Deron Rippey (Brooklyn, NY/East Carolina) is second on the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game. He put in 24 points against ACU, then scored 26 points against Angelo State.

ABILENE CHRISTIAN DEFEATS ENMU
Abilene Christian, ranked #22 in NCAA Division II, built a 47-38 halftime lead, then scored the first six points of the second half, on its way to a 98-77 Lone Star Conference win over host Eastern New Mexico at Greyhound Arena. The win improved ACU to 12-1, including 1-1 in the LSC. Eastern fell to 6-6 overall, 0-1 in the Conference.

ACU built an early 8-point lead, but ENMU moved in front, 25-24, on a 3-pointer by Matt Vail (Jr., G, Grants, NM/Grants H.S.) with 7:47 left in the first half. ACU regained the lead on its next possession, but ENMU trailed by just a single point, 29-28, with 6:05 remaining in the half. The Wildcats then scored 11 unanswered points on their way to a 20-8 run to end the half.

ENMU never got closer than nine points during the final 20 minutes. ACU placed five scorers in double figures, led by Jared Mosley with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Charles Jackson added 18 points and 6 boards. Dante Rabb scored 11 points, while Kenric White and Anthony Roach each scored 10 points.

The Greyhounds were led by senior forward Deron Rippey (Brooklyn, NY/ East Carolina), who scored 24 points, connected on 10 of 13 shots from the field, and earned 8 boards. Vail added 21 points, including a pair of 3-point shots.

RIPPEY SCORES 26 AS ENMU DOWNS ASU
The Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds shot 60.4% from the field on their way to a 103-95 victory over visiting Angelo State, in an LSC South Division game, Jan. 9 at Greyhound Arena. ENMU moved above the .500 mark at 7-6, while evening its LSC record at 1-1. Angelo State dropped to 11-5, 1-2 in the LSC.

Senior forward Deron Rippey set the pace, scoring 26 points and recording 6 rebounds. Rippey was 7 of 11 from the field, and added 12 free throws on 15 attempts at the line. He came into the game shooting 63.8% on field goals, and was ranked 14th nationally in NCAA Division II in field goal percentage.

Rippey was one of four Greyhounds in double figures. Junior guard Matt Vail provided 18 points, junior guard James Franklin (Houston, TX/Trinidad State J.C.) scored 16 points, and senior center Craig Ferris (Ethete, WY/Casper College) added 15 points. Franklin had 5 assists and 6 steals, while Vail added 3 assists and 4 steals. Junior forward Val Petteway (Galveston, TX/Lee College) grabbed 8 rebounds for ENMU.

Gerald Morris of Angelo State led all players with 35 points on 15 of 19 field goal shooting and 5 of 5 at the line. Chris Connolly and Delwin Smith each scored 16 points for the Rams. Connolly also registered 7 rebounds. Terry Murray and Justin Cuculich brought down 8 boards apiece for ASU.

ENMU led by 18 points, 52-34, with 2:34 remaining in the first half, but ASU closed the half with a 10-1 run to cut the deficit to 9 points, 53-44, at the break. The Rams pulled within three points, 53-50, with 17:40 remaining in the game, but the Greyhounds pushed the lead back to 16 points, 70-54, at the 12:18 mark. Angelo State made it close in the final minute, pulling within 5 points, 100-95, with 33 seconds left. The Greyhounds secured the game by sinking 3 of 4 free throws the rest of the way.

VAIL NEARS ENMU’S TOP 25 SCORERS
Junior guard Matt Vail (Grants, NM/Grants H.S.) begins this week with 874 career points. He needs just 47 points to reach ENMU’s list of Top 25 all-time leading scorers. He is only 126 points away from the 1,000-point mark.

He would become the 19th player in ENMU history to score 1,000 points. Vail has a career average of 13.7 points per game.

UP NEXT FOR THE GREYHOUNDS
ENMU plays its next four games on the road, starting with a game at Tarleton State on Thurs., Jan. 14 (7:00 p.m. MST). The Greyhounds conclude the week at Midwestern State on Sat., Jan. 16, at 7:00 p.m. MST.

ZIA BASKETBALL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (9-3, 3-0 LSC South)
The Zias went 2-0 during the week to improve to 9-3 overall. ENMU also took over sole possession of first place in the LSC South Division with a 3-0 record. The Zias downed preseason LSC South Division favorite Abilene Christian, 70-67, on Thurs., Jan. 7.

Eastern routed Angelo State, 76-46, on Sat., Jan. 9. Sophomore guard/forward Brandi Bates (Plainview, TX/Plainview H.S.) averaged 13.5 points per game during the week, and added 9.0 rebounds per game.

For the year, junior post Amanda Mendez (San Antonio, TX/Madison H.S.) remained Eastern’s leading scorer, with 13.6 points per game.

ENMU DEFEATS ABILENE CHRISTIAN
Junior post Amanda Mendez ( San Antonio, TX/Madison H.S.) scored 20 points to lead Eastern New Mexico to a 70-67 Lone Star Conference victory over 22nd-ranked (NCAA Div. II) Abilene Christian, at Greyhound Arena, Jan. 7. The win improved ENMU, ranked 10th in the South Central Region, to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the LSC. Abilene Christian, ranked 3rd in the South Central Region, fell to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the LSC.

ENMU trailed 51-45 with 8:46 remaining, but the Zias went on a 13-0 run to take a 58-51 lead with 5:14 left. Mendez scored six points during the run, and Katheryne Hickman (So., Post, San Antonio, TX/Castle Hill 1st Bapt.) added a 3-pointer for the Zias.

Eastern New Mexico led the rest of the way, although ACU got within two points, 65-63, with 1:13 left. Mendez connected on a 5-foot turnaround jumper with 42 seconds left and two seconds on the shot clock. Senior point guard Julie Smith (Albuquerque, NM/Eldorado H.S.) added a free throw with 24 seconds left, and Hickman went 2 for 2 at the line with 0:12 remaining, as ENMU led 70-65. ACU scored the game’s final basket with four seconds left.

Mendez was one of three Zias in double figures. The others were Hickman, with 12 points, and sophomore guard/ forward Brandi Bates (Plainview, TX/Plainview H.S.), with 11 points. Bates led the Zias with 8 rebounds, while Smith recorded 10 assists — 9 in the second half.

Amber Tate led the Wildcats in scoring with 25 points. She was 6 of 10 from the field, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers. Tate also sank 8 of 9 free throws. Ashley Gray added 12 points and Jackie Bucher scored 11 points.

ZIAS ROLL PAST ANGELO STATE, 76-46
ENMU Takes LSC South Lead
Sophomore guard/forward Brandi Bates scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, leading three Eastern New Mexico players in double figures, as the Zias routed Angelo State, 76-46, at Greyhound Arena, Jan. 9.

The win moved ENMU into sole possession of first place in the LSC South at 3-0, and upped the Zias’ overall record to 9-3. ENMU has won three games in a row and 5 of its last 6. Angelo State fell to 3-9 overall and 0-3 in the LSC South. Eastern New Mexico scored the first 12 points of the game and led 20-4 with 11:41 remaining in the first half. The Zias led 36-18 at the half, and increased their lead to 28 points, 53-25, with 10:27 remaining.

Bates was joined in double figures by sophomore post player Bobbie Wallin (Moriarty, NM/Moriarty H.S.), who scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, and by junior guard/forward Sharon Max (Kirtland, NM/Kirtland H.S.), who added 10 points.

ENMU shots 41.5% for the game, while limiting ASU to just 27.1% field goal shooting. The leading scorer for the Rambelles was Katrina Polnick with 13 points. Polnick also recorded 7 rebounds and earned 2 steals. Kandace Etheredge contributed 8 rebounds for Angelo State, which finished with a 45-44 rebounding edge.

ZIAS PLAY TENACIOUS DEFENSE
Eastern New Mexico has played tremendous defense throughout its first 12 games. The Zias’ opponents have averaged just 60.2 points per game and have connected on just 36.4% of their field goal attempts.

ENMU has won 5 of its last 6 games, including four games in which the Zias held their opponents to less than 60 points. ENMU gave up a season-low 46 points to Angelo State.

For the season, ENMU has held six opponents to less than 60 points. Only two teams have scored more than 70 points against Eastern this year.

MENDEZ HAS SCORED 765 CAREER POINTS
TJunior post Amanda Mendez (San Antonio, TX/Madison H.S.) concluded this past week with 765 career points. She is currently 15th on ENMU’s all-time scoring list, and needs just 14 points to move into 14th place.

UP NEXT FOR THE ZIAS
The Zias play five consecutive road games over the next two weeks — all against LSC foes. ENMU will travel to Tarleton State on Jan. 14, Texas Woman’s University on Jan. 15, Midwestern State on Jan. 16, Texas A&M-Kingsville on Jan. 21 and Texas A&M-Commerce on Jan. 23.