Preview: Southern Nevada Coyotes at Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters

THATCHER, Ariz. (Interstat) — The Eastern Arizona men’s basketball team will look to complete a regular-season sweep and solidify its winning record when it hosts the Southern Nevada Coyotes in a junior college matchup Wednesday.

The Gila Monsters (16-11) have defeated the Coyotes (8-12) decisively in both meetings this season, winning 96-74 at home on Jan. 21 and 86-68 in Las Vegas on Feb. 7. Eastern Arizona enters the game having lost three of its last four, including a 76-71 defeat at Cochise last Saturday. Southern Nevada has lost two straight and five of its last seven.

A key matchup will feature Southern Nevada guard Maximus Romero against Eastern Arizona’s dominant forward Ryan Hunt. Romero is coming off a season-high 24-point performance in a 93-81 loss at Arizona Western last Saturday. Over his last five games, he is averaging 14.4 points and 4.8 assists.

Hunt, however, has been a force for the Gila Monsters, particularly on the glass. He grabbed 16 rebounds in the Feb. 7 win over Southern Nevada and is averaging a remarkable 18.1 points and 15.4 rebounds over his last seven contests. His recent run includes a 36-point, 21-rebound effort in a win at Central Arizona on Jan. 31.

For Southern Nevada to challenge the sweep, they will need more consistent production beyond Romero. Demarion Yap (16 points) and Gerald Patterson (13 points) provided support in the last outing, but the Coyotes have struggled defensively, allowing 86.3 points per game in their three February losses.

Eastern Arizona will aim to leverage its significant rebounding advantage, led by Hunt, and improve its offensive flow after scoring just 59 points in a home loss to Central Arizona last Wednesday. Kahu Treacher, who scored 21 points against Cochise, provides a secondary scoring punch.

Wednesday’s game is the final regular-season home contest for Eastern Arizona. Southern Nevada visits Central Arizona next on Saturday, while Eastern Arizona travels to Arizona Western.