Greyhounds Scoreless in Final Three Minutes of 62-59 Loss at Oklahoma Panhandle State
Monette Earns 13 Points, Grabs 10 Boards, for Eastern

Box Score

GOODWELL, OKLA. — Eastern New Mexico University squandered a seven-point lead in the final three minutes, as Oklahoma Panhandle State University claimed a 62-59 win over the Greyhounds, in a non-conference game on Friday, Dec. 30. The Greyhounds fell to 4-7, while the Aggies won for the first time this season to improve to 1-10 overall.

Eastern’s season-long shooting woes were quite apparent in the first half, as the Hounds connected on 26.7% of their shots from the field (8-30). The Hounds also were outrebounded, 21-14, in the first 20 minutes of play, as the Aggies went into the locker room with a 28-25 lead. Joshua Jackson (Fr., G, Madison, WI/Madison West HS) and Jolen Montoya (Sr., G, Cordova, NM/Neosho CC) led Eastern with five points each in the first half.

The Aggies’ largest lead of the game was 15-9 with 9:47 left in the first half, following a
dunk by Aaron Harrison. On Eastern’s next two possessions, Jackson scored five consecutive points on a jumper and a three-pointer to get the Hounds within one point with 7:25 to play in the half.

Montoya’s three-pointer with 3:43 left before intermission tied the game at 21-21 and began a 7-0 run to give Eastern a 25-21 lead with just under two minutes left on the clock. The Aggies answered with their own 7-0 run to end the first half.

The tight battle continued in the second half. Eastern regained the lead on a layup by Mikal Monette (Jr., F, Albuquerque, NM/University of New Mexico) with 18:27 left in the game. The teams then exchanged baskets for the next seven-plus minutes of play.

A jumper by Stephen Wilson (Jr., G, Heflin, AL/Gadsden State CC) with 10:44 left on the clock gave the Greyhounds a one-point lead, 47-46, and started a 12-6 run. Monette’s tip-in of a miss by Jackson capped off the run and gave Eastern its biggest lead of the game, 59-52, with 2:59 to go.

ENMU gave up the last 10 points of the contest. OPSU took advantage of three fouls by
Eastern in the final 2:43, as the Aggies connected on five of six free throws. A layup by OPSU forward Nick Malinowski cut the seven-point deficit to a single point with 1:29 left.

Eastern committed a turnover with 1:10 remaining and Panhandle retained the ball until calling a time-out with 45 seconds left. Just two seconds later, Tim Anderson scored on a 3-point shot to give OPSU a 61-59 lead.

The Hounds had two chances to score in the closing seconds of the game, but were unable to convert. After Tristan Largent (Jr., G, Martinsburg, WV/Garrett College) missed a jumper with six seconds left, Malinowski grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He converted the second of two free throws to increase the Aggies’ lead to three points. Largent missed a 3-pointer as time expired.

Monette led the Hounds with 13 points and 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season. Largent was the only other Hound to finish in double figures, as he earned 11 points, including two three-pointers.

Panhandle State placed three players in double digits, led by Malinowski and Harrison, each with a double-double. Malinowski led all scorers with 15 points and grabbed 10 boards. Harrison, a 6’9” center playing for the first time this season, finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Juan Carson accumulated 10 points during the game.

ENMU will continue its trip through Oklahoma for two more games. On Thursday, Jan. 5, the Greyhounds will visit Northeastern State University in Tahlequah for a game at 7 p.m. MST. On Saturday, Jan. 7, ENMU will play at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, starting at 1 p.m. MST.