Late Rally Sends Greyhounds Past Javelinas, 63-60
Monette Free Throw Gives Hounds Final Lead;
Jackson Clinches Win with 1.3 Seconds Left

Box Score

PORTALES, N.M. — Eastern New Mexico University rallied from a five-point deficit in the final four minutes, as the Greyhounds upended Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 63-60, in a Lone Star Conference game on Thursday, Feb. 2, at Greyhound Arena. Mikal Monette (Jr., F, Albuquerque, NM/University of New Mexico) gave ENMU the lead for the final time, 61-60, on a free throw with 30 seconds left. Freshman guard Joshua Jackson (Madison, WI/Madison West HS) clinched the win by grabbing a defensive rebound with five seconds on the clock, then hitting two free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining.

The LSC South victory improved the Greyhounds to 9-12 on the season and to 3-3 in the
conference. TAMU-Kingsville fell to 13-7 overall, 3-2 in the LSC South.

Eastern trailed 58-53 after Remi Yusef put in a layup for the Javelinas with 4:06 to go. The Hounds moved a point closer when Tristan Largent (Jr., G, Martinsburg, WV/Garrett College) sank a free throw at the 3:52 mark. After a missed jumper by Yusef, the Hounds pulled within a single point, 58-57, on a 3-pointer by Jolen Montoya (Sr., G, Cordova, NM/Neosho County CC) with 3:25 left.

The Javelinas committed a turnover less than 30 seconds later, and Jackson used the chance to give ENMU the lead, 60-58, on a 3-point basket with 2:54 remaining. Bobby Pandy tied the game with 2:34 to play, when he put through a jumper for Kingsville.

Neither team scored again until Monette was fouled while shooting with 30 seconds on the clock. Monette missed the first free throw, then waited through a full time-out by TAMUK before sinking the second attempt.

Kingsville hoped to win the game on the final shot of the night, as the Javelinas ran down the clock before getting the ball to Yusef with about 10 seconds left. Yusef moved into the lane, but his off-balance jumper missed and Jackson cradled the rebound near the free throw line.

After Jackson gave ENMU a three-point lead at the charity stripe a few seconds later, the
Javelinas prepared for a lengthy pass to set up a game-tying 3-point shot. The in-bounds pass by Pandy went far enough, but was a bit high and went out of bounds after being touched by a TAMUK player. ENMU ran out the remaining time on the clock.

Monette was Eastern’s top scorer with 17 points, including 7 of 11 on field goals. He also recorded eight rebounds. Largent tacked on 14 points, earned three assists and provided two steals. Montoya scored 11 points and freshman forward Jake Holladay (Gilmer, TX/Gilmer HS) chipped in 10 points.

Holladay was 2 of 4 on three-pointers, including 2 of 3 in the second half, when Eastern hit 5 of 9 long-range shots. ENMU connected on 52.2% of its overall field goals in the second half (12 of 23), while holding TAMU-Kingsville to 39.3% (11 of 28) over the final 20 minutes.

Eastern’s second-half success offset 36.0% shooting (9 of 25) by the Hounds in the first
half, when they made just 1 of 6 three-point attempts. Even so, ENMU led 24-17 with 5:29 left in the opening period. Kingsville countered with a 10-0 run to take a 27-24 advantage on a layup by Juan Lanauze at the 2:11 mark. The Javelinas, who shot 40.0% (10 of 25) in the first half, held a 29-28 lead at the intermission.

The teams played through four lead changes and three ties in the first six minutes of the second half. Eastern took a 42-40 lead with 13:19 to go, when Holladay sank his first 3-pointer. Holladay added another trifecta with 12:23 left for a 46-40 ENMU edge.

Eastern fell behind, 49-48, on a 3-pointer by Kia Griffin of Kingsville with 9:57 remaining. The Greyhounds regained the lead two more times, before the Javelinas started a 7-0 run with a free throw by Lanauze at the 6:47 mark. A jumper and two free throws by Pandy continued the run before Yusef’s layup with 4:06 left completed the rally. TAMUK scored just two points the rest of the way.

Yusef was the high scorer for Kingsville, as he recorded 17 points. Pandy added 16 points and led the Javelinas with eight rebounds. Griffin tallied 10 points and also provided six boards.

The Javelinas achieved a 34-29 rebounding edge, including 24 defensive boards, compared to just four offensive boards for the Greyhounds. Kingsville nailed 15 of 19 free throws, but hit only 3 of 12 three-point shots. The Javs also committed 17 turnovers, while the Hounds lost possession 14 times.

ENMU returns to action on Monday, Feb. 6 at Greyhound Arena against arch rival West Texas A&M University. Game time for the LSC South match-up is set for 7:30 p.m. MST. The Buffaloes defeated the Greyhounds, 93-81, in Canyon, Texas, on Jan. 31. Eastern fell behind early in the first meeting and trailed 43-27 at halftime.