Greyhounds Rally Past Central Oklahoma, 67-66
Pinckney Hits Winning Jumper with 15 Seconds Left

EDMOND, OK - Irshaun Pinckney (Jr., G, Clovis, NM/Clovis HS) hit a 10-foot jumper with 15 seconds left, sending Eastern New Mexico University to a 67-66 win over the University of Central Oklahoma, in a Lone Star Conference crossover game, Dec. 4 at the Hamilton Field House. ENMU evened its record at 3-3, while UCO dropped to 1-6 on the season.

The Greyhounds overcame a 14-point deficit in the first half and erased a nine-point deficit in the final 3:21 of the game. Eastern shot an impressive 69.6% from the floor in the second half (16 of 23), including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

In the first half, Central Oklahoma held a 34-20 lead at the 2:23 mark, but ENMU closed the half with a 5-0 run. The Greyhounds trailed 34-25 at the break. At the end of the game, Eastern trailed the Bronchos, 63-54, but went on a 13-3 run to secure the win.

Garland Coleman (Sr., G, Chicago, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor HS), who scored a game-high 24 points, started the rally with two free throws with 3:13 on the clock. Pinckney rebounded a missed free throw by UCO with 3:08 remaining, and Coleman cut the lead to 63-58 with a layup at the 2:50 mark.

Senior guard Brent Cooper (Mobile, AL/Faulkner State College) added a jumper with 2:42 remaining, but Nick Graham of Central Oklahoma sank a 3-pointer with 1:58 left, giving the Bronchos a 66-60 advantage. A three-pointer by Kennis Green (Jr., F, Houston, TX/Blinn College) with 1:48 to go cut the UCO lead to 66-63.

Jamaal Hunnicutt (Jr., F, Amarillo, TX/Hill JC) added a layup with 1:17 left to pull ENMU within a single point, 66-65. Neither team scored again until Pinckney connected on the winning shot with 15 seconds remaining.

The Bronchos missed an opportunity to take a three-point lead with 25 seconds left, when Reggie Paul missed a layup following an offensive rebound. UCO also failed on two attempts in the final seconds, as Dashone Henderson missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left and Paul failed on a tip-in with one second on the clock.

Coleman's 24 points were earned on 9 of 10 field goals and 6 of 8 free throws. It was his third career 20-point game and was his highest total since scoring a career-high 28 points against Texas A&M University-Commerce on Feb. 1, 2001. He scored 24 points against Western New Mexico University on Dec. 16, 2000. Both previous 20-point efforts were during his freshman season.

Coleman's all-around effort included six rebounds, two steals, an assist and a blocked shot. Hunnicutt scored just seven points, but grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. He also recorded seven assists, blocked three shots and registered one steal.

Green and Pinckney joined Coleman in double figures against UCO. Green contributed 20 points and was 7 of 15 from the floor (4 of 8 on three-pointers). Pinckney scored 10 points and was 5 of 7 on field goals.

Coleman, Green and Pinckney were a combined 21 of 32 (65.6%) from the floor. The accounted for 54 of Eastern's 67 points. The Greyhounds scored just two points off the bench.

Central Oklahoma placed three players in double figures, but none reached 20 points. Henderson led the way with 13 points. Graham tacked on 11 points, and was 3 for 5 on 3-point shots. Kentrell Gaddis scored 10 points. Paul added eight point, six rebounds and two steals, while Kevin Russell led the Bronchos with six assists.

Both teams sank 25 field goals during the game. ENMU converted 4 of 9 three-pointers and Central Oklahoma hit 8 of 22 attempts from behind the three-point arc.

Eastern overcame UCO's 8-4 edge in 3-pointers by making 13 of 22 free throws, while the Bronchos sank 8 of 11 charity shots. ENMU achieved a 33-29 rebounding edge, but the Hounds committed 21 turnovers. UCO lost the ball 16 times.

The Greyhounds, who have played the first five games in a string of eight straight road contests, will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 6, against defending NCAA Division II national champion Northeastern State University. Tip-off in Tahlequah, Okla., is set for 3 p.m. (MST).