Jon Belt Ties Career-High with 21 Points, as ENMU Downs Southwestern Oklahoma, 72-59
Greyhounds Extend Winning Streak to Four Games

PORTALES, NM – Senior forward Jon Belt (Broken Arrow, OK/NE Oklahoma A&M) tied a career-high with 21 points and the Greyhounds ended the game with a 22-10 run, as Eastern New Mexico University defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 72-59, on Jan. 18 at Greyhound Arena. The Greyhounds upped their winning streak to four games and improved to 8-6 overall. SWOSU fell to 4-10 with its sixth loss in seven games.

The contest was the final LSC crossover game of the season for both teams. ENMU, which competes in the LSC South, finished 4-3 in crossover games. SW Oklahoma, from the LSC North, went 2-5 in crossover games.

Belt, whose previous 21-point effort came in Eastern’s 71-70 win at Abilene Christian in the regular season finale a year ago, hit seven of 14 field goals, including two of five 3-pointers, against Southwestern Oklahoma. He sank five of five free throws and grabbed five rebounds.

Eastern started the game strong, building a 12-3 lead over the first 3:33. After ENMU’s Jamaal Hunnicutt (So., F, Amarillo, TX/Hill JC) opened the scoring with a layup, the Bulldogs took a short-lived 3-2 lead on a 3-point shot by Semaj Johnson. Eastern scored the next 10 points, with Belt providing five points on a jump shot and a 3-pointer.
SW Oklahoma cut the lead to 14-10, but ENMU led 25-15 with 9:45 remaining in the half. SWOSU then launched a 13-4 offensive surge that trimmed the ENMU advantage to 29-28, with 2:16 on the clock. Johnson, Jonathon Taylor and Irving Roland each connected on a 3-pointer during the run. The Bulldogs held ENMU scoreless for just over six minutes.

Even so, Eastern went into the half with a 35-28 lead, as Irshaun Pinckney (So., G, Clovis, NM/Clovis HS), Garland Coleman (Jr., G/F, Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor HS) and Hunnicutt each scored a basket during the final minute and a half. Hunnicutt’s basket came with two seconds left, on an uncontested dunk following a steal by Coleman.

A 3-pointer by Roland with 14:11 remaining in the game pulled SWOSU within one point at 41-40. The Bulldogs later tied the game, 43-43, on a jump shot by Roland at the 12:49 mark, then took a 45-43 lead when Johnson added a basket 36 seconds later.

Eastern tied the game, 45-45, with 11:37 to go, and took the lead when Belt hit a 3-pointer on the Hounds’ next possession. SWOSU quickly reduced the lead to 48-47, as Fasiri Ellison converted two free throws. Eastern also led by one point, 50-49, after Jarrod Mueggenborn of SWOSU sank a pair of free throws with 9:02 remaining.

ENMU never trailed again, as the Hounds’ 22-10 run sealed the win. Eastern owned a 59-55 lead with 3:58 left, then scored the next six points for a 65-55 advantage heading into the final two minutes. The 6-0 run included two free throws by Hunnicutt, a charity shot by Pinckney, a basket by Brent Cooper (Jr., G, Mobile, AL/Faulkner State College) and a free throw by Coleman.

The Greyhounds scored seven points in the final 1:26, while sinking five of six free throws, as ENMU continued to pull away from the Bulldogs. Hassan Trotter of SW Oklahoma completed the scoring on a 3-point shot with 11 seconds remaining.
Belt led three Hounds in double figures. Coleman produced 11 points, while sinking five of eight field goal attempts. He also supplied two assists, blocked one shot and earned three steals. Kevin Iverson (Sr., G, Chicago, IL/Elgin CC) tacked on 10 points.
Hunnicutt missed double-digit scoring, but contributed a team-high six rebounds, to go with nine points, three assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Pinckney scored eight points, while Cooper led the all players with six assists.

Johnson topped the Bulldogs with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. He scored 11 points in the first 11 minutes of the game, but was held to just seven points the rest of the way.

Devon Rice chipped in 11 points for SWOSU, and Trotter added nine points. Roland provided eight points, while Ellison achieved seven points, five rebounds and two steals.
SWOSU held an edge in 3-pointers, sinking 7 of 19 to Eastern’s 2 of 12, but the Hounds made seven more field goals overall. ENMU shot 47.4% (27 of 57) for the game, and limited the Bulldogs to 43.5% shooting (20 of 46). The Greyhounds forced SWOSU into 18 turnovers.

The Greyhounds will open LSC South play when they travel to Abilene Christian University on Thursday, Jan. 23, and to Angelo State University on Saturday, Jan. 25. Both games are set to get underway at 7 p.m. (MST). ENMU won at ACU and ASU in the final week of the 2001-02 regular season to complete a 3-game winning streak that clinched an LSC Tournament berth.