PORTALES, N.M. – Following a successful opening weekend of conference play, Eastern New Mexico (4-2, 2-0 LSC) heads to the Lone Star state for the first time in the 2023-24 season to take on UT Tyler (1-5, 0-2 LSC) and No. 7 DBU (6-0, 2-0 LSC). Before the Greyhounds begin the road trip, please take a gander at the Starting Five:

1.) Weekend for a Century: For the first time since the 1995-96 season, Eastern New Mexico scored in triple digits for consecutive games. A 103-70 win got Lone Star Conference action started as ENMU earned the result over St. Edward's. The Hounds followed up the dominant Thursday performance with another resume building win over St. Mary's, 101-82. ENMU combined for 95 rebounds and 44 assists on the weekend. The 2005-06 season is the last time Eastern has recorded 27 or more assists twice during the season. Three players (Conrad Luczynski, Jahcoree Ealy, and Błażej Czerniewicz) scored in double figures in both games.

2.) Conference Honors: Senior Jahcoree Ealy had two of his strongest performances for ENMU in the wins over St. Edward's and St. Mary's. Against the Hilltoppers, he played 21 minutes and registered 16 points and four rebounds. All of his points were scored in the first half with him responsible for 8 of the first ten points for his team. His early dominance forced SEU to adjust and allowed key touches to all ten players who saw action on the floor that night. Ealy continued an excellent weekend with a career-high 31 points versus St. Mary's. He also shared the ball well with four assists to his credit. Based on his time on the floor, Ealy was recognized as the Lone Star Conference offensive player of the week.

3.) Three's More Than Two: Early in the 2023-24 campaign, Eastern New Mexico is connecting from behind the arc at a high percentage. The Hounds are the second-best team in the nation with a 44% mark from deep range. One interesting fact is that ENMU makes the eighth most (7.3) three's per game in the LSC, but takes the least amount of attempts (16.7) compared to conference opponents. One of the biggest reasons why the program ranks so highly in this category is because of Junior Hodnett, who sits atop the conference connecting on 15-of-27 (55.6%) from three-point range. Two more Hounds hitting shots with a high success-rate are Greg Johnson connecting on 9-of-16 (56.3%) and Błażej Czerniewicz who has sunk 10-of-24 (41.7%). To be ranked by the NCAA, student-athletes must connect on a minimum 2.5 three's per game. Hodnett is currently right at that mark.

4.) From Deep to Charity: It's no secret that UT Tyler has taken a lot of three-point attempts in the early stages of the season. They are averaging 26.8 attempts and connect on 36% of those. Their 9.7 three's per outing ranks 38^th among DII programs. One thing the team is struggling with is fouling. UTT allows 22 fouls per game. Through six games, a player has recorded three or more fouls in a single game 22 times. However, only one player has fouled out in a singular game. Another reason why this number may be high is because the team committed 30 fouls in the contest versus Cameron. If the trend does continue, ENMU will need to be prepared to shoot free throws or at least make an effort to cause shooting foul opportunities.

5.) Winning Helps: DBU is off to its best start to a season since 2019-20. The history of the program includes several trips to the national tournament, but 2022-23 proved to be a little different. This year, the team is trying to reverse the script and get back to postseason play. DBU will do so if they continue to shoot the ball exactly how they are in the first two months of the season. They connect on a conference leading 52.2% of shots while scoring the most points (93.3 ppg) among LSC foes. It's not just the offense paving the way, the team is forcing a Lone Star best, 19.83, turnovers a contest. It's tough to find areas of struggle statistically because the program is doing exacty what they want to (win), but one area that can stand out is rebounding as the team averages 35.17 per game ranking 165^th in the nation. One of the reasons why this is the case is because the team plays a five-guard lineup. A high scoring affair could take place as these two teams are in the top-three in scoring offense among LSC programs combining for 182.3 points per game.