ODESSA, Texas – Eastern New Mexico lost another close contest on the road as they fell to UT Permian Basin, 74-72, Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons used an early 8-0 run anchored by a pair of three-point shots to break the game open in the first half.

Over the opening 20 minutes of play, seven of UTPB's eleven made field goals came from behind the arc. The consistent shooting gave them the 38-29 lead going into the intermission.

The game stayed in UT Permian Basin's control up until they established a 54-38 score with 13:29 in the contest.

Down by 16, ENMU began pinching at the large deficit by forcing missed shots and turnovers inside the paint.

Little by little, the game got within 63-59 in UTPB's favor with 4:33 on the clock. That's when a pair of quick buckets for the Falcons pushed the game back to a nine-point cushion.

With 27 seconds ticking down on the scoreboard, Junior Hodnett came up with a loose ball steal and Greg Johnson took the pass and scored a game tying layup.

UT Permian Basin had the final possession. They kept the ball high on the key until ten seconds left in the match. The Falcons took the ball into the paint and forced an ENMU foul with four seconds remaining. The home side connected on both shots from the charity stripe.

Eastern only had four seconds left to save the game. The Greyhounds got the ball past half court, but at the end of it all were unable to attempt a game clinching shot.

Statistically, the Hounds held several key advantages. They outrebounded the Falcons, 28-24, and they outscored them in the pant, 25-14. On top of that 36 points came from the paint compared to just 22 for UTPB.

Off the bench, Greg Johnson aided the offensive attack with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor. Two other Greyhounds hit the double digits threshold as Jahcoree Ealy finished with 17 points and four assists and Errol White contributed 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

"In back-to-back games we fought out of a deep hole and I am proud of how we fought to get out of the hole," said head coach Brent Owen. "Very disappointing weekend and we have to learn from it and come back to win four in-a-row at Greyhound Arena."

Eastern New Mexico will be back in action for Hispanic Heritage Night against Midwestern State Thursday night. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game can be viewed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network or listened to on 105.9 FM KSEL Country.