PORTALES, NM – The Eastern New Mexico men's basketball team fell, 81-63, to fifth nationally ranked West Texas A&M University on Thursday night in Greyhound Arena.

The Greyhounds netted the first points of the game before the Buffs took the advantage and never relinquished it.

WT led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but Eastern fought back to cut the deficit to seven points (38-31) at halftime.

In the second frame, the Hounds put together a short four-point run (17:31-16:31) to come within six points.

However, the Buffs then went on a 12-0 run (15:57-14:10) to once again stretch their advantage.

West Texas A&M held off the Greyhound offense the rest of the way to secure the 81-63 victory.

NOTABLE STATS

• James Jordan paced the Eastern offense with 11 points. Kentrell Pullian, JaQuan Morris, and Jose Serrano each added nine points.
• On defense, Jordan and Jared Perry both pulled down five rebounds.
• Pullian had a team-high two steals throughout the contest.
• Perry and Cornell Greenwood each recorded two blocks.
• For the Buffs, Zach Toussaint led all scorers with 22 points. Hayden Blankley and Larry Wise were close behind with 21 and 18 points, respectively.
• The Hounds finished the game shooting 38.2 percent from the floor, 10.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 67.9 percent from the free throw line, compared to WT's 39.7 percent on the floor, 35.7 percent from three-point range, and 78.1 percent at the line.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• ENMU shifts to 3-4 on the season, while the Buffs improve to 9-1.
• Eastern and WT will meet again on February 12 for a Lone Star Conference rematch.
• West Texas A&M leads the overall series between the two programs, 91-20, dating back to 1935. The Buffs have won the last eight matchups.
• The Greyhounds are back in action on Saturday, December 4 at 3 p.m. against the University of the Southwest. The game will be played at "The Rock" at Clovis High School.