PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball hits the road for a pair of matchups against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foes this weekend. Before ENMU heads to Durango, Colo. for its next games, please take a look at the Starting Five:

1.) Split Results: One of the unique aspects of the opening games was that all four men's programs competing in ENMU's version of the South Central Regional Crossover went 1-1. The Greyhounds earned a convincing 102-75 win over New Mexico Highlands and lost to No. 15 Fort Lewis, 82-62. Head coach Brent Owen is now 2-1 against NMHU, but is still seeking his first win over the Skyhawks. That feat can be accomplished this week as Eastern New Mexico travels to the Skyhawk Classic hosted by Fort Lewis. The two programs will meet for the second time in a week Saturday afternoon. This will be the seventh time the teams have faced each other twice in the same season.

2.) Options Galore: Through two contests, four players have hit the double digit scoring mark. Greg Johnson and newcomer Mario Whitley are putting up 16 points per game. Junior Hodnett is connecting for 13 points per game and Jahoree Ealy posts 11 per contest. Whitley had a 22 point and 10 rebound double-double versus the Cowboys Friday night. Another new Greyhound, Lyron Bennett, scored ten points in the win over NMHU. Several players have proven they are capable of scoring for ENMU.

3.) Threeeee's: Junior Hodnett began the season on a hot note. The Rio Rancho, N.M. native is now the only player in ENMU history to connect on all six three-point attempts during a game. Overall, the program went 13-for-22 (59.1%) versus NMHU. His previous career-high came last season on the road versus West Texas A&M when he scored 11 points. Through two games he is 8-for-9 from deep range and is just seven shots away from tying his season total from a year ago. Eastern is ninth in the nation with a 48.6% mark from behind the arc.

4.) Grizzlies Groovin': Led by first-year head coach Kenny Tripp, Adams State is off to a strong start with wins over UT Permian Basin (70-67) and Western New Mexico (78-73). Eastern leads the overall series, 24-18, and are on a three-game winning streak. The last meeting between the two teams came inside Greyhound Arena in 2005 as ENMU earned a 69-57 win. The last time Eastern New Mexico lost in the series was in 1994 (73-70). Leading ASU in scoring are Destan Williams (16.5 ppg) and Austin Fadal (16.0 ppg). They average 11.5 turnovers per game and one player to watch defensively is Isaiah Sampson with three blocks and nine rebounds.

5.) Rematch Alert: The Greyhounds look forward to another matchup with the No. 15 Skyhawks. Fort Lewis boasts three players averaging double digit scoring figures. Those include Obi Agbim (15 ppg), Brayden Carter (12.5), and Tristan Hurdle (10.5). Agbim scored 18 against ENMU. Carter finished with 11 in the game with the Greyhounds and Hurdle ended with 15. Both Carter and Hurdle came off the bench in the first two games of the 2023-24 campaign. The Skyhawks are the seventh best team in the nation with an 84.8% success rate from the free throw line. FLC is also earning 37 points from their bench per game.