SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University Men's Basketball team hosted instate rival Eastern New Mexico in pivotal matchup on Senior Night. The Mustangs would defeat the Greyhounds 80-75 for the season sweep.
This is the first time the Mustangs have swept the Greyhounds since joining the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs will finish over .500 for the first time in 16 years and finish with their most wins ever in the LSC.
"Beating your rival is always special," said Head Coach Zane Gibson. "That's a really good Eastern team and beating them twice in a stretch of 4 days is a great accomplishment by our guys."
This puts the Mustangs at 17-11 (11-11).
Before the game Seniors Jaylin McFadden (Rockford, IL), Tony Avalos (Las Cruces, NM/Onate HS), Olamide Pedersen (Bronshoj, Denmark/Sunrise Christian Academy), Amarion Cash (Phoenix, AZ/Mountain Pointe HS), Andres Andrade Rossi (Gran Canaria, Canary Island, Spain/The Phelps School), Ben Manzano (Albuquerque, NM/Volcano Vista HS) and Joshuwan Johnson (Phoenix, AZ/Maricopa High School) were honored.
"I love my seniors, they are a special group of guys," said Gibson. "They have changed Western New Mexico basketball for good."
Three Mustangs would manage double-figures on the Eagles. Johnson would score a game-high and career-high 25 points including 6-9 from deep in his last game on Drag's Court. Fellow senior McFadden would end the night with 13 points. Avalos would also add 12 points.
"Whenever Josh gets hot, I try to feed him as much as possible until he runs cold," said Gibson. "Fortunately for us he didn't run out of gas tonight."
A great shooting day from deep and fast break points would be the recipe for success for the Mustangs. WNMU would manage to an impressive shoot 9-19 (47%) from three. On the fast break the Mustangs would pour in 39 of their 80 points, while limiting the Greyhounds to 14 fast break points.
The Greyhounds would do a good job turning over the Mustangs. ENMU would force 19 TOs on the Mustangs compared to only 14 from the Greyhounds.
At the charity stripe the Mustangs would shoot 25-32 (78%) compared to 21-31 (68%) for the Greyhounds. The Mustangs' bench would also be a factor tonight, outscoring the Greyhounds' bench 39-28.
On the boards, Isaiah Lewis (Little Elm, TX) would lead the way with six rebounds. McFadden and Cash would both add five boards each. DJ Heath (Anniston, AL) would lead the Mustangs with three assists.
In the defensive department, Johnson lead the way with four steals. McFadden would add two steals as well. Pedersen and Ian Hohenstein (Veracruz, Mexico/Faith Christian Academy) would each record a block.
In the first half the WNMU would shoot 44% from the field and 36% from behind the arc. WNMU would finish the game shooting 47% from the field and 47% from three. ENMU would shoot 41% for the game and 20% from behind the three-point line.
The Mustangs and Greyhounds were locked into a tight battle in the first half, with both teams trading baskets. With 4:41 on the clock, Avalos would sink two free throws to put the Mustangs up 10, 35-25. The Greyhounds would claw their way back only trailing 39-37 at the half.
In the second half the Mustangs would only faulter the lead once to the Greyhounds again before leading the rest of the way. Johnson would catch fire in the second half, nailing back-to-back 3s along with a three-pointer from Lewis to put the Mustangs up 10 with five minutes to play. The Greyhounds would be able to claw their way back, trailing by two with 1:25 on the clock, but the Mustangs would take care of business at the charity strip and put down the Greyhounds for good, 80-75.
Four Greyhounds would manage double-digits on the Mustangs. Grehlon Easter would score 20 points and snag three steals before fouling out. Errol White would add 16 points and seven boards. Greg Johnson would chip in 12 points and Jahcoree Ealy finished with 11 points.
"These seniors are the foundation blocks of all future success here," said Gibson. "People will no longer look at us the same way again."
Top Mustangs:
Joshuwan Johnson (Phoenix, AZ/Maricopa High School): 25 pts 4 stls (7-14 FGs) (6-9 3FGs)
Jaylin McFadden (Rockford, IL): 13 pts 5 rebs (4-8 FGs) (1-2 3FGs)
Tony Avalos (Las Cruces, NM/Onate HS): 12 pts (4-8 FGs) (1-2 3FGs)
The Mustangs will now await the results of DBU and Texas A&M International to see if their playoff hopes are still alive.
This game recap is presented by First American Bank. First American Bank is a proud supporter of WNMU Athletics!
Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (Twitter, TikTok & Instagram).
