Greyhounds Rally Past Fort Hays State, 61-59
Pinckney Hits Two Free Throws with 1.8 Seconds Left

TOPEKA, KAN. — Senior guard Irshaun Pinckney (Clovis, NM/Clovis HS) sank two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining to send Eastern New Mexico University to a 61-59 victory over Fort Hays State University, in the first round of the WIBW Radio Holiday Classic, Nov. 26, at Washburn University. Pinckney’s charity shots put the finishing touches on a comeback by the Greyhounds, who erased a 13-point deficit in the final 8:58.

ENMU improved to 2-1 on the season. Fort Hays State fell to 1-2 with the loss. Eastern will take on host Washburn for the tournament title on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. MST. Washburn defeated Lincoln University, 110-76, in the other first round game. Lincoln and Fort Hays State will battle for third place on Saturday at 5 p.m. MST.

Fort Hays held a 28-18 halftime advantage, as the Tigers limited Eastern to just 7 of 26 on field goals (26.9%), including 0 of 9 on three-point shots. The Tigers extended their lead in the second half to 13 points three times, including 50-37 on a layup by Derrick Turner with just under nine minutes to go.

The Greyhounds scored the next basket more than a minute later, on a 3-point shot by Billy Austin (Jr., G, Hobbs, NM/Eastern Wyoming CC). Austin’s bucket started an 11-4 run that reduced the FHSU lead to 54-48, with 4:54 on the clock.

Eastern chipped the lead to five point twice on field goals by Pinckney, then pulled within two points, 57-55, on a trifecta from Jolen Montoya (Jr., G, Cordova, NM/Neosho County CC) with 3:17 left. Marques Woods missed two free throws for Fort Hays with 2:55 to go, then Tyrone Shephard failed on two free throw attempts at the 2:00 mark.

Jason Breland (Jr., G, Los Angeles, CA/Mt. San Antonio College) of ENMU tied the game at 57-57 with a clean steal near mid-court followed by a dunk, as the clock ticked down to 1:14. Breland’s basket completed a 7-0 run for the Greyhounds.

FHSU regained the lead on two free throws by Woods with 1:09 left. Eastern equalized with 47 seconds to go, when Reggie Wallace (Jr., G, Pasadena, Ca/Mt. San Antonio College) drove through the lane and scored on a layup.

Shephard was called for an offensive foul with 29 seconds remaining, as the Tigers lost a chance at moving in front. Montoya ran the clock down to about 10 seconds, then the Hounds put their offense into motion. Pinckney received the ball on the right side with five seconds left, and started driving toward the basket.

He was on his way up to shoot when he was fouled by Turner in the lane. Pinckney, who shot 82.6% (71 of 86) at the free throw line last season, swished both ends of the two-shot foul to secure the win for ENMU.

In the first half, Eastern used a 6-0 run to take a 10-7 lead with 10:39 left. The lead was 12-10 for the Hounds before a 3-pointer by Shephard at the 6:56 mark put Fort Hays in front. The Tigers were ahead 21-18 at the 3:33 mark, but closed the half with a 7-0 run for a 28-18 advantage. Woods completed the run on a 3-pointer with nine seconds left.

The Hounds, who outscored the Tigers, 43-31, in the second half, were led by senior forward Jamaal Hunnicutt (Amarillo, TX/Hill JC) with 16 points and seven rebounds. He also contributed two assists and earned three steals. Pinckney and Breland each tacked on 11 points for Eastern, while Montoya provided seven points and seven assists.

Fort Hays placed four players in double figures. Shephard scored 14 points on 6 of 7 field goals, but just 1 of 4 free throws. Turner followed with 13 points and a game-high 11 boards. Woods and Derrick Graham earned 11 points apiece.

The Tigers held a 34-29 margin on the boards, but committed 19 turnovers, while ENMU lost the ball only 12 times. Eastern had just three turnovers in the second half. For the game, ENMU hit 40.0% from the floor (22 of 55), while FHSU made 42.2% of its shots (19 of 45). The Greyhounds connected on 51.7% (15 of 29) in the second half.

Both teams struggled on three-pointers, as Eastern sank just 2 of 14 and FHSU hit 2 of 8. The charity stripe proved more successful, with the Hounds making 15 of 22 shots (68.2%) and the Tigers hitting 19 of 26 (73.1%).