Athletic Report
January 25, 1999

MEN’S BASKETBALL
(7-10, 1-5 LSC South)
The ENMU Greyhounds lost a pair of Lone Star Conference road games last week. Eastern lost to Texas A&M- Kingsville, 94-71, on Jan. 21, then fell to Texas A&M-Commerce, 80-67, on Jan. 23.

ENMU concluded the week at 7-10 overall, 1-5 in the LSC South. Senior forward Deron Rippey (Brooklyn, NY/East Carolina) scored 22 points against TAMU-Kingsville and added 19 points against TAMU-Commerce. He leads ENMU with 16.3 points per game. He is averaging 21.7 points per game in the LSC South.

TAMU-KINGSVILLE DOWNS ENMU
Texas A&M-Kingsville went on an 10-0 run midway through the second half on its way to a 94-71 victory over Eastern New Mexico in an LSC South Division game, Jan. 21. The Javelinas improved to 9-9 overall and 2-4 in the LSC South. ENMU fell to 7-9, 1-4 in the Conference. The Javelinas led by just 4 points, 55-51, with 10:24 remaining.

TAMUK’s string of unanswered points increased its lead to 14 points, 65-51, at the 9:07 mark. TAMUK later added another 10-0 run for an 86-61 lead with 3:27 left. ENMU started the game strong, scoring the first 7 points and taking a 10-3 lead 5:30 into the game. TAMU- Kingsville rallied to move in front, 21-20, with 6:27 remaining in the half. The Javelinas held a 35-29 advantage at the intermission.

Eastern’s top scorer was senior forward Deron Rippey (Brooklyn, NY/ East Carolina), who scored 22 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Rippey was fouled frequently, and converted 14 of 20 free throw attempts. Other ENMU players in double figures were junior guard Matt Vail (Grants, NM/Grants H.S.). with 11 points and freshman forward Mason Morris (Roswell, NM/Goddard H.S.) with 10 points.

TAMU-Kingsville was led by Kevin Davis, who scored 22 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and made 10 of 11 free throws. Quincy Sims provided 15 points, Edwin Gray contributed 13 points, and Randy Phoenix added 13 points and 8 boards.

GREYHOUNDS FALL TO TAMU-COMMERCE
M Eastern New Mexico, playing its fourth consecutive road game, lost to Texas A&M-Commerce, 83-70, in an LSC South Division game, Jan. 23.The loss dropped ENMU to 7-10 overall and 1-5 in the LSC. TAMU-Commerce upped its record to 13-5, 4-3 in the LSC.

The Lions, who led 34-27 at the half, opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Jeff Sabin for a 10-point lead. ENMU never got closer than 7 points the rest of the way.

Both teams played solid defense. The Lions limited ENMU to 37.2% from the floor and blocked 7 of Eastern’s shots. The Greyhounds blocked 2 shots and held TAMU-C to 40.7% field goal shooting.Eastern converted just 3 of 13 three-pointers, while the Lions sank only 1 of 14 three-point tries.

Each team had just one player who shot over 50%. For ENMU, junior guard James Franklin (Houston, TX/Trinidad State J.C.) connected on 9 of 15 shots and scored 20 points. He also recorded 11 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds, and earned 4 steals.

For TAMU-C, Jermaine Thomas led all scorers with 30 points on 13 of 18 shooting. Thomas registered 14 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.

Deron Rippey added 19 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for ENMU. Sophomore guard Brandon Ridenour (Lovington, NM/New Mexico J.C.) added 11 points for the Greyhounds.

Other top scorers for the Lions were Harold Chambers, with 17 points, and Keith Acosta, with 13 points. Acosta also grabbed 13 rebounds, while Chambers recorded 10 boards.

UP NEXT FOR THE GREYHOUNDS
The Greyhounds return home to take on Oklahoma Panhandle State on Wed., Jan. 27. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Greyhound Arena. ENMU defeated OPSU, 72-60, in Goodwell, Okla. on Dec. 12. The Greyhounds end the week on Sat., Jan. 30, at West Texas A&M. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (MST).

ZIA BASKETBALL
(12-5, 6-2 LSC South)
The Eastern New Mexico women’s basketball team saw its 6-game winning streak ended by a pair of road losses last week. The Zias lost to Texas A&M- Kingsville, 80-55, on Jan. 21, and fell to Texas A&M-Commerce, 71-66, on Jan. 23. ENMU completed its 5-game road trip at 3-2, and dropped to 12-5, 6-2 in the LSC South (Tied for 1st).

Junior post Amanda Mendez (San Antonio, TX/Madison H.S.) continued to lead the Zias in scoring. She has scored 216 points in 17 games, an average of 12.7 points per game. She is currently 13th on the ENMU all-time scoring list, with 818 career points. Other top scorers for the Zias this season are sophomore post/forward Katheryne Hickman (San Antonio, TX/Castle Hills 1st Bapt. H.S.) with 9.8 points per game and junior guard/forward Sharon Max (Kirtland, NM/Central H.S.) with 9.4 points per game.

LADY JAVELINAS DEFEAT ENMU
The Lady Javelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville took an early 21-8 lead and went on to defeat the Zias, 80-55. TAMU-Kingsville achieved a 44-21 lead at the half, and although

ENMU outscored the Lady Javelinas, 36-34, in the second half, the Zias couldn’t overcome the early deficit. TAMU-Kingsville placed four players in double figures, led by Lorie Martinez with 17 points. She was followed by Annetta Anglin with 15 points, and Jennifer Rice and Meredith Walker with 13 points each.

ENMU was led by sophomore post/forward Katheryne Hickman (San Antonio, TX/Castle Hills 1st Baptist H.S.), who scored 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Junior post player Amanda Mendez (San Antonio, TX/Madison H.S.) added 9 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Lady Javelinas benefited from a 54-35 rebounding advantage. Brett Henke topped TAMU-Kingsville with 8 rebounds. LaNetta Anglin provided 7 rebounds.

Eastern struggled from the floor, hitting 16 of 58 field goal attempts for 27.6%. The Zias were 22 of 32 at the line (68.8%), but made just one 3-pointer. TAMUK converted 43.1% from the field and sank 8 of 22 three-point shots.

LIONS TAKE 71-66 WIN OVER EASTERN
Texas A&M-Commerce received 23 points and 12 rebounds from Jennifer Hickman, as the Lions defeated the Zias, 71-66, in an LSC South contest, Jan. 23. The loss dropped the Zias to 12-5 on the season and 6-2 overall.

TAMU-Commerce improved to 6-12 and evened its LSC record at 4-4. The Lions held a slim 28-27 lead at halftime, and trailed the Zias, 36-35 with 15:55 remaining in the game. TAMU-C moved in front for the final time, 42-40, with 13:20 on the clock. Even so, the Lions led by just 5 points, 52-47, at the 10:27 mark, but scored 7 unanswered points for a 12- point lead.

The Zias rallied to within 3 points, 69-66, with 1:15 to go. Junior guard/forward Sharon Max missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 19 seconds left. Jennifer Hickman sealed the TAMU-C victory by sinking a pair of free throws with 0:14 left.

Hickman, the sister of ENMU sophomore post/forward Katheryne Hickman, was one of two players with double-digit scoring for TAMU-C.

Jessica Douglas scored 18 points and recorded 10 assists for the Lions. ENMU’s leading scorer was junior post Amanda Mendez, with 16 points (8 of 15 FGs) and 8 rebounds.

Bobbie Wallin (So., P, Moriarty, NM/Moriarty H.S.) provided 13 points and 9 rebounds. Katheryne Hickman added 12 points.

UP NEXT FOR THE ZIAS
The Zias host Oklahoma Panhandle State on Wed., Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. ENMU defeated the Lady Aggies, 77-48, Dec. 1 in Goodwell, Okla. Eastern plays at West Texas A&M on Sat., Jan. 30. Game time in Canyon, Texas, is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (MST).

ZIA TENNIS
(2-0 Overall, Ranked #21)
The ENMU women’s tennis team, ranked #21 in NCAA Division II, opens its spring season with a pair of matches in Phoenix, Ariz. The Zias play Western New Mexico on Fri., Jan. 29 at 9:00 a.m. (MST), then take on Grand Canyon University on Sat., Jan. 30 at 9:00 a.m. Both matches will be held on the Grand Canyon campus.

Eastern’s #1 singles player, freshman Layla Turner (Casa Grande, Ariz./Union H.S.) returns to her home state for this week’s matches. Turner is ranked 53rd in the nation and 13th in the Midwest Region in singles.

Turner and doubles partner Julie Stiles (Jr., Roswell, NM/Goddard H.S.) are ranked 9th in the Region. They play #1 doubles for the Zias.