PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico men's basketball team opened up their 2018 Lone Star Conference schedule with their most impressive outing of the season, defeating MSU Texas by a final score of 85-73.

The Hound's victory is just the second win over MSU Texas inside Greyhound Arena since Jan. 28, 2006 and also marks just the 15^th time in school history in which Eastern New Mexico has defeated the Mustangs in 49 tries. Eastern connected on a season high nine three-point buckets in the contest and also converted on a season-high 26 attempts from the free throw line to post their second-highest offensive output of the season.

Sophomore Devin Pullum posted a season high 20 points to lead the way for the Hounds while junior Isaac Maldonado used six free throw makes to post his highest offensive output of the season as well with 12 points. Seniors Zach Parker and Chukuka Emili served as the two other Hounds in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Eastern New Mexico came out strong in what served as not just the LSC opener, but the 2018 home opener as well and limited the Mustangs to just 10-for-27 (37.0 percent) from the field in the opening half of action. That early pressure allowed the Hounds to build a 24-11 lead at the 12:04 mark of the first half, a sizeable advantage that would hold until MSU Texas put together a 12-3 run leading up to the five minute mark of the opening half and narrowed the deficit to just 30-27.

Another bucket from the Mustangs less than a minute later took the Hound advantage down to just one point at 30-29, before each team traded baskets leading up to the 3:11 mark of the half. Eight straight Greyhound points, including five from Pullum, drew the score to 42-33 heading into the halftime break.

MSU Texas answered the late-half run with a hot start to the second half, taking their first lead of the contest at 51-50 thanks to a lay-up with 15:18 remaining in the game. The Mustangs could increase the lead to just four before Pullum and the Hounds took over for the remainder of the game and solidified the victory with a three-point bucket from the Little Elm, Texas native at the 3:59 mark that extended the Hounds lead to 73-66.

Eastern outscored MSU Texas 9-3 in the final two minutes of the game to put the emphasis on their first conference victory of the season. The Hounds finished the night 25-for-56 from the field to post their highest team shooting percentage of the season with a mark of 45 percent.

Eastern New Mexico also won the rebounding battle for the evening 37-to-35, on a balanced team effort under the rim with senior Arcaim Lallemand, junior Isaiah Murphy, junior Deng Kuany, and Maldonado all recording five or more boards.

"Our guys really competed tonight, and I am very excited that our home crowd got to see how hard this group has been working," coach Segler said, "We have put so much hard work into being more physical and becoming more solid defensively. I am just so proud that the hard work materialized tonight for us in the form of tough rebounds and big stops. Midwestern is a very tough and athletic team. They will win many games in the Lone Star. In this league you have to protect your home court, and tonight was a big moment for this program and this team." 


The Hounds will finish the opening weekend of conference play in the LSC on Saturday afternoon back inside Greyhound Arena at 4 p.m. against Cameron.