ENMU basketball capsules, Dec. 30

Men

Eastern New Mexico (4-8) at Lubbock Christian (4-8)

1 p.m., Rip Griffin Center

On the air: KSEL Country 105.9 FM

Last time out: The Chaps lost to Angelo State on Dec. 19, 83-77. The Greyhounds lost at home to Regis, 68-61, also on Dec. 19.

Last meeting: Lubbock Christian beat Eastern at Greyhound Arena, 73-67, back on Dec. 13, 2016.

Notes: The two programs meet for the second year in a row, as the Greyhounds will try to avenge last year’s home loss to the Chaps. In that game, the Chaps outscored the Hounds in the second half, 47-36. Lubbock Christian shot 47.3 percent from the field and had three players score at least 18 or more points. This season, the Chaps are averaging 75.6 points per game, but are also allowing 77.3 per contest. Isaac Asrat leads the way with 19.8 points per game, while Brennen Fowler is averaging 15.3 points per game. Fowler is the team’s leading rebounder with 8.5 boards per game, but no other Chap has more than 4.8 per contest. Eastern, like Lubbock Christian, is desperately searching for a win. The Hounds have dropped eight of their last nine games, and are allowing 82.7 points per game during that stretch. Lamarquis Thompson enters Saturday’s game with 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while averaging 58.5 percent from the field and 84.8 percent from the foul line. The Greyhounds’ top six scorers are all averaging at least 8.0 points per game, along with a 3-point shooting percentage of at least 39.0 percent apiece.

Women

Lubbock Christian (11-1) at Eastern New Mexico (5-5)

2 p.m., Greyhound Arena

On the air: KSEL Country 1450 AM

Last time out: Lubbock Christian beat Cameron, 67-54, back on Dec. 16. The Hounds beat St. Mary’s, 52-45, also on the 16th.

Last meeting: The two programs last met on Nov. 20, 2015, with the Chaps winning in a rout. Lubbock Christian took the game at Rip Griffin Center, 89-55, behind a 56.6 percent shooting performance from the field, which included 10-for-16 (62.5 percent) from downtown.

Notes: The Chaps enter Saturday’s contest on a five-game winning streak. Lubbock Christian is currently ranked No. 4 in the country in the WBCA Coaches NCAA Division II women’s basketball poll, trailing only No. 1 Ashland — whom the Chaps lost to, 79-66, on Nov. 24, West Texas A & M and Indiana (Pennsylvania). The Chaps rank 12th in the nation in scoring defense (53.8 points allowed per game), and 19th in scoring margin (19.3 ppg). Tess Bruffey leads the way with 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for the Chaps. Eastern is coming off of back-to-back wins and will face a top 5-ranked opponent for the second time this year, after bowing to No. 2 West Texas A &M on Dec. 2, 61-44. The Greyhounds have allowed as many points, 597, as they’ve scored through 10 games thus far. And while Eastern has struggled from the field this season, its opponents have fared even worse, averaging just 34.9 percent, including just 26.0 percent from downtown. ENMU has outscored its opponents by 18 points in the first quarter this year, and getting off to a strong start will be key against a tough Chaps team that has one of the best scoring defenses in the country.

— compiled by Eric Murray