Murillo_Jose_1_1_ASU

Men's Basketball Jose Montoya

MBB Starting Five: Lubbock Christian, West Texas A&M

Greyhounds set for battle with Chaps and Buffs

PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball is set for a pair of tough battles against Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M.

The festivities begin with a Thursday night clash with the Chaps set for 6:30 p.m. MT and two days later the Hounds will head to face to the Buffs for a 2 p.m. MT matchup Saturday.

Before the Greyhounds get back to the court, please take a look at the Starting Five:

1.) Streak Snapped: ENMU beat Cameron last week to snap a 17-game losing streak to conference opponents on the road. The 78-70 victory was anchored by a 22-point effort from Jahcoree Ealy and 15 points from Errol White. Fourteen of Ealy's points came from the charity stripe. His effort gives him the second most free-throws made in a single game by a Hound. The other streak snapped over the weekend was Eastern's five-game winning streak as they fell to Midwestern State, 56-53.

2.) More Murillo: Jose Murillo was the only Hound to score in double digits in both games for ENMU. In the win over the Aggies, he scored ten points and added eight rebounds and an assist. Against the Mustangs, the Mexico native tallied ten points and grabbed four rebounds along with a block and assist. The freshman forward has started nine games for Eastern and is averaging 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

3.) Hodnett's Hot: Redshirt-freshman Junior Hodnett connected on a career-high ten points against Midwestern State. He hit two three-point shots and gave ENMU a seven-point lead off a long two from the corner. The Rio Rancho, N.M. native is averaging 9.4 minutes per contest and is one of four players to participate in every game this season.

4.) Battle Every Day: It's no joke that each game in the Lone Star Conference is tough. This week will be no different as all three teams are ranked in the South Central rankings in the D2SIDA poll voted by sports information directors. West Texas A&M claims the #7 spot, Eastern holds at #9, and LCU rounds out the group at #10. The Buffs sit at 7-1 in conference play, while the Hounds and Chaps are tied at 5-3.

5.) History Matters: Lubbock Christian holds a 36-28 advantage over ENMU, including wins in four-straight competitions. LCU is 20-9 when the game is held at their house. The last win for the Hounds was a road victory on Dec. 30, 2017. The result of that contest – 82-73. West Texas A&M holds a hefty advantage over Eastern at 92-20. WT is winners of nine-straight in the series. The last time Eastern came out on top was a 96-83 victory on Jan. 26, 2017 at home. Last time they stole a game on the road? It came on Feb. 1, 2014 when the Greyhounds won 58-57.
 

Players Mentioned

Jose Murillo

#33 Jose Murillo

F
6' 9"
Freshman
Junior Hodnett

#11 Junior Hodnett

G
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Jahcoree Ealy

#0 Jahcoree Ealy

W/F
6' 6"
Junior
Errol White

#10 Errol White

F
6' 7"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jose Murillo

#33 Jose Murillo

6' 9"
Freshman
F
Junior Hodnett

#11 Junior Hodnett

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
G
Jahcoree Ealy

#0 Jahcoree Ealy

6' 6"
Junior
W/F
Errol White

#10 Errol White

6' 7"
Sophomore
F