PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico men's basketball team will begin the second half of conference play this weekend with two road match-ups against Cameron and MSU Texas.

Eastern currently sits in sixth place in the LSC standings after completing the first half of conference play with a record of 4-5 and will now play each team in the league one more time throughout the next few weeks with the pursuit of their second consecutive conference tournament in mind. The Hounds defeated both Cameron and Midwestern State handily in the first weekend of conference play back on Nov. 29 and Dec. 1 and will look to use this weekend to rebuild some momentum after two tough losses in their most recent action against Texas A&M-Commerce and West Texas A&M.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

Cameron will enter Thursday's game with a 7-12 overall record and is 3-6 in LSC action. Last week, the Aggies split a pair of road games, picking up a big 68-62 upset at Angelo State on Jan. 24 before dropping a 70-44 decision at Texas A&M-Kingsville last Saturday.

The Aggies will be looking forward to their home confines as they are 5-5 in games played at Aggie Gym as opposed to a 2-7 record in road or neutral site games. However, the Aggies pose just a 2-3 record at home against LSC foes.

Offensively, the Aggies enter the match with the seventh-best scoring offense in the LSC, averaging 75.1 points per game, but have struggled on the defensive end by giving up 79.7 ppg, which ranks second-to-last in the conference. Cameron has struggled even more in Lone Star contests, scoring at just a 70.3 ppg clip while giving up 80.6 ppg. The -10.3 scoring margin in league games is second-to-last among LSC teams.

Cameron is led offensively by senior guard Zach Dumas with a 13.4 ppg average while doing a lot of damage from the free throw line, converting on 90-of-116 (78 percent) from the charity stripe. Senior guard Tyus Momoh has also provided a scoring punch for the Aggies, averaging 12.7 ppg while leading the team with 13.4 ppg in LSC contests. Momah is the primary catalyst for the Aggies offense with a team-leading 80 assists (4.2 apg), which is the third-most amongst LSC competitors. Junior forward Jalen Nicholas leads the Aggies rebounding efforts with 116 boards per game.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

MSU Texas makes its way into the week with a 6-13 record overall and a 2-7 mark in LSC play. The Mustangs dropped a pair of hard-fought matchups last week, falling at Texas A&M-Kingsville 65-53 last Thursday before Angelo State made a big second half rally to defeat MSU 72-67 on Saturday.

The Mustangs enter Thursday's matchup with No. 11 West Texas A&M with a three-game losing streak and have struggled on their home floor as they possess a 4-5 record at home and are 2-2 against conferences foes in the D.L. Ligon Coliseum. MSU has struggled on the offensive end this season, ranking third-to-last among LSC teams with a 72.7 ppg scoring average and have been even more challenged in conference play with a 69.2 ppg average that ranks second to last in the Lone Star.

Senior guard JaJuan Starks has been a bright spot for the Mustangs offense this season, as his 15.1 ppg scoring average is the fifth-best in the conference while being even better in LSC games with a 16.1 ppg average. Starks has been an efficient shooter for MSU Texas, knocking down 47 percent of his shot attempts while knocking down a team-leading 32 three-pointers at a 40 percent clip. Junior forward Gilbert Thomas Jr. is not only one of the best rebounders on the team, but is the fifth-rated rebounder in the Lone Star with 153 rebounds (8.1 rpg). Junior guard Elijah Lee will spearhead the MSU offense as the point guard leads the team with 81 assists (4.3 apg).

LIGHTING UP LEAGUE PLAY

Devin Pullum has caught fire midway through the Lone Star Conference slate. The sophomore guard has scored the most points in LSC play with 156 points with a 17.3 ppg average. Pullum is coming off his two best offensive games since joining the Greyhounds last season, scoring a career-high 39 points while converting 12-of-22 from the field and 12-of-15 from the free throw line against Texas A&M-Commerce. Pullum followed it up with his first career double-double against West Texas A&M, scoring his second-highest career point total with 25 points and ripped down a career-high 11 rebounds. Pullum's efficiency from the foul line has been a big factor in his scoring presence, as he is currently the conference leader in free throw percentage (85 percent).

GETTING BACK ON-TRACK

The Hounds have hit a bit of a cold stretch in the midseason as Eastern has lost five of its last six games with the lone win coming off of Pullum's game-winning shot at home against Tarleton State on Jan. 17. The Greyhounds will look to swing momentum back on their side as they have fared well against the Aggies and Mustangs in recent years. Eastern has won three of their last four meetings against Cameron while the Hounds have split the last four matchups with MSU Texas.

BOARD BROTHERS

Since returning from injury, senior forward Arcaim Lallemand along with Chukuka Emili have provided a dynamic one-two punch on the glass for the Greyhounds. Lallemand has returned to the starting lineup in the last two games and recorded a season-high 11 rebounds in the Hounds' hard-fought 74-69 loss to No. 16 West Texas A&M. He joins Emili in the low post, who is currently the fourth-best rebounder in the Lone Star with a 7.2 rpg average.