PORTALES, N.M. – Senior Chukuka Emili had a career day on Saturday afternoon with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks as Eastern New Mexico men's basketball dominated Western New Mexico by a final score of 98-80.

Emili got the scoring started with a lay-up 33 seconds into the game and the Hounds (10-11, 7-6 LSC) never looked back, leading the rest of the 39:27 of the game and recorded their second-highest team shooting percentage of the season at 55.6 percent (35-of-63) in a game presented by Pizza Hut. The Hounds really stepped on the gas coming out of a halftime break that included a ceremony honoring the 1969 NAIA National Championship men's basketball team, extending their lead to as many as 28 points.

The Hounds led by nine at 48-39 after an offensively-driven first half for both team, while Emili nearly reached double-double figures in the first half alone, totaling 12 points and eight rebounds. The Hounds continued to roll in the final half with 50 points as a team, including 13 from Emili, and also tightened up their defensive effort, allowing Western to make just 15-of-40 shots from the field.

Eastern on the other hand shot the ball at an elite pace in the second half, converting 16-of-25 attempts from the field including 5-of-7 from behind the three point line. That offensive prowess allowed Eastern to maintain a double-digit advantage from the 18:03 mark of the half all the way down to the end.

Emili wasn't without a solid supporting cast on the offensive side of the ball, as five other Hounds recorded double-digit scoring figures. Sophomore Devin Pullum hit both three-point attempts in route to 18 points while senior Zach Parker scored 10 or more points (12) for the eighth time in the last 10 games.

Junior Isaiah Murphy filled up the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on an afternoon in which the Hounds dominated the paint with 47 rebounds to Western's 36 boards. Senior Maurice Coleman had 11 points and seven assists while junior Deng Kuany had 10 points and four rebounds.

With the Hound's win on Saturday afternoon and a loss at Angelo State by Texas A&M-Kingsville, Eastern New Mexico has now moved into fifth place in the LSC standings. The Greyhounds are now one game behind Tarleton State in the standings and will have a chance to continue to gain ground next weekend with games at home against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State.

Those games are scheduled for Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. Thursday night will be Breast Cancer Awareness night while Saturday will serve as senior day, where the Hounds will honor five seniors who will be playing in their final game inside Greyhound Arena.