PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball hit 61.7% (29-47 FG) of their shots from the floor to take down the University of Texas Permian Basin Friday night at Greyhound Arena, 84-75.
The hot shooting night marks the third best in program history and holds the top mark among conference teams in any game during the 2022-23 season.
"I thought our shot selection was really good," said head coach
Brent Owen after the win. "It shows maturity in our team. Shot selection is an unselfish skill. It shows that our guys are playing to win instead of for themselves."
Offensively,
Greg Johnson led the team with a season-high 24 points, including 5-for-6 from behind the arc.
"My wife (Ashley) asked me to pull him (Johnson) aside and have a talk with him because she felt like he needed some confidence," said Owen on Johnson's performance. "After practice today I pulled him aside and we shot together. He was shooting really well and I told him 'if you get any good looks to tonight don't hesitate, you got the great night' and he goes 5-of-6 so great coaching by Ashley tonight."
The nine-point victory took effort from the entire Greyhound squad to earn a third-straight victory.
UTPB took an early advantage in the first half as they jumped to a 13-9 lead and got it to as high as seven points (40-33) with 2:26 to go in the opening period. Despite the deficit, the Hounds scored six unanswered points to close out the frame and found themselves down 40-39 at intermission.
Jose Murillo got into early foul trouble, which gave
Malique Oates the opportunity to get on the floor and he contributed in a big fashion over the first half. He scored all ten of his points over that stretch.
In the second, the Greyhounds got off to a quick start with five straight points. From that point on, the Falcons tied the ball game and ENMU never gave up the lead after that.
The team hit four of its seven three-pointers in the second half, including a crucial bucket by
Eze Dike in the final minute of the contest.
Eastern outrebounded the Falcons 29-26 and held a slight advantage in steals, 9-7. They also outscored UTPB, 32-6, with points off the bench.
"We've been putting in a lot of work in the gym and it's paying off," said
Greg Johnson after the win. "We had to overcome adversity and I'm proud of my teammates for continue to push past it and find a way to win."
The victory pushes ENMU to 8-3 (3-2 LSC) and keeps the program undefeated inside Greyhound Arena this season.
In total, four Greyhounds scored in double figures on the night. Johnson (24 pts),
Jahcoree Ealy (17 pts), Dike (14 pts), and Oates (10 pts).
ENMU is back in action to open the New Year on January 1. The matchup against Angelo State is set for 3 p.m. and will can be listened to on 105.9 FM KSEL Country and streamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. Fans are asked to bring clothing items to donate for free admission into the game.