Texans and Lions Enter Drag's Court for Final Weekend of Conference Play

Men's Basketball 2/28/2019 9:28:00 AM

Texans and Lions Enter Drag's Court for Final Weekend of Conference Play

Silver City, N.M – Western New Mexico men's basketball will close out the regular season this weekend as they host Tarleton State and Texas A&M- Commerce for Pink Night Thursday, and Senior Day Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT:

Last weekend featured some tough matchups for the Mustang men and one of their farthest trips this season at Angelo State and Texas A&M – Kingsville. ASU was up first, and the Rams were out to snap a two-game losing streak. Leading 41-32 at the half, ASU used a 58 point second half to run away with a 99-71 win. Two Mustangs finished in double-digits with Jon-Reese Woodson (Corpus Christi, TX/Carroll) leading the way with 18, followed by true freshman Tony Avalos (Las Cruces, NM/Onate) who scored a season high 15 points.
Game two was another tight contest for WNMU. Trailing by four seconds before the half, a layup from Leston Gordon (Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago/Tunapuna Government Secondary) put his team within two. The second half was all Kingsville, shooting 56% from the field and 50% from three-point range to score 55 points to Western's 26. Gordon would go on to grab a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE TEXANS:

The Texans (18-9, 8-8 LSC) are tied with Texas A&M – Kingsville for the fifth seed in the conference. Currently on a three-game losing streak, the Tarleton men are eyeing a berth in the conference tournament with the last two games of the regular season this weekend.
Although they rank 7^th in LSC scoring offense, the Texans have the second best field goal percentage as a team with a 48.6%. Beyond the arc, they lead the conference shooting 37.7 percent, and average at least 8.4 three-point field goals a game. With the leading free throw percentage, the Texans will be a threat from the foul line.
Junior forward, Josh Hawley is a main reason for the Texans efficiency. He sits second in scoring behind UTPB's Jacob Ledoux with 17.2 points per game, but leads in percentage with a 58.6%. Hawley also does it on the defensive end with 10.1 rebounds per game, along with 1.0 blocks and 1.9 steals.

HISTORY VERSUS THE TEXANS:
This will mark the second meeting between the teams this season. The first meeting in Stephenville saw Tarleton take a 69-59 win, behind Jesse Hill's 19 points. Hawley however was quiet only scoring 7 points in the win.
Leston Gordon (Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago/Tunapuna Government Secondary) notched a double-double behind 11 rebounds and 18 points, and two blocks. He was the only player for the Mustangs to finish in double-digits.
SCOUTING THE LIONS:
The Lions of Texas A&M – Commerce (20-6, 12-4 LSC) sit second in the conference behind WT, and remain fourth in the South Central regional rankings.
With the third highest scoring offense, TAMUC averages 81.6 ppg, shooting 47.0% from the floor. Leading the way is senior guard, Reggie Reid with 15.9 points shooting 40.9%. Teammate Willie Rooks also puts up 14.7 points, leading the team 64 threes on the season, averaging 2.5 a game.

HISTORY VERSUS THE LIONS:
Saturday's matchup is sure to be an exciting one, as the Lions will enter Drag's Court with revenge on their minds.
The Mustangs grabbed their first conference win in exciting fashion earlier this season when they traveled to Commerce and took down the then ranked #20 Lions in overtime by one. Reid and Rooks each finished with 19 points, with one other in double digit scoring. While the Mustangs were led by Jon-Reese Woodson's (Corpus Christi, TX/Carroll) 17 points and 11 rebounds. Amarion Cash (Phoenix, AZ/Mountain Pointe) also came in clutch for the team adding 12 points, 2-2 from three, and nearly perfect at 5-6 from the field.

Thursday's match will feature a "Pink Night" theme with tip-off at 7:30 p.m, leading up to Senior Day on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The men will be honoring six seniors that day, Jon-Reese Woodson (Corpus Christi, TX/Carroll), Willie McCray (Clovis, NM/Clovis/Westwind Prep Academy), Jordan Enriquez (El Paso, TX/Bel Air), Leston Gordon (Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago/Tunapuna Government Secondary), Davis Wade (Jackson, MS/Will C Wood) and O'Shayne Reid (Jamaica, NY/John Bowne).

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Players Mentioned

#15 Jordan Enriquez: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#23 Willie McCray: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#33 O'Shayne Reid: C; 6' 7"; Senior

#5 Davis Wade: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#10 Jon-Reese Woodson: F; 6' 9"; Senior

#24 Amarion Cash: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#12 Leston Gordon: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#4 Tony Avalos: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#15 Jordan Enriquez
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#23 Willie McCray
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#33 O'Shayne Reid
: 6' 7"; Senior
: C

#5 Davis Wade
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#10 Jon-Reese Woodson
: 6' 9"; Senior
: F

#24 Amarion Cash
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#12 Leston Gordon
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#4 Tony Avalos
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G