PORTALES, N.M. – The roar of the crowd was unlike any night head coach Brent Owen has experienced in his three seasons with the Greyhounds. The sound of close to 1500 fans during the starting lineups lit up the faces of the players about to take center stage for a battle with West Texas A&M.

The game did not go in the favor of the Greyhounds as the Buffalos prevailed, 98-87, in a late-night battle between two high-intensity programs.

"I don't think it was a lack of effort from our guys," said Owen after the game. "Those guys (WT) made tough shots."

That's exactly what it took from WT on a night where both teams shot above 50% from the field.

The Hounds connected on 32-of-63 (50.8%) from the floor and the Buffs went 32-of-62 (51.6%) on the night.

ENMU earned an early lead off a trio of baskets from Eze Dike, Jose Murillo, and Greg Johnson. By the 13:22 mark, the team held its largest advantage, 22-11, after a three-point play.

WT battled back from the double-digit deficit and found themselves on the other end by intermission.

At the break, the visitors held a 52-43 lead, finishing the final three minutes on a 11-0 run.

Eastern slowly began chipping away with the first basket of the period going to Errol White, however West Texas A&M always had an answer.

The Buffs lead stretched to as much as 66-49 just seconds before the under-16 media timeout.

Despite a large deficit, the Greyhounds are no strangers to late second half pushes. That's exactly what they did. With 7:09 remaining, the team was down 78-73. Three minutes later? The score was 81-79.

WT answered back with a pair of three's and free throws to carry an eight-point cushion.

The matchup stayed within the five-point margin until the final minute where the Buffs steadily grew the lead at the charity stripe.

Several Hounds stepped up offensively as they stayed toe-to-toe with one of the best shooting teams in the nation.

Greg Johnson scored a team-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He added four rebounds on a night where ENMU led the battle for the boards, 36-32.

Jahcoree Ealy secured his second double-double of the season. This time, courtesy of the atypical 15 points and 10 assists. His previous career-high in assists was five before tonight.

"Jahcoree is dynamic with the ball and an unselfish player who always looks for his teammates," said Owen on the wing's game. "WT was really trying to send two guys at him when he was driving downhill. Instead, he found the guys who were open and made smart passes."

Almost no answers to a trio of Buffs held down the fort for WT as Julius Brown (28 pts), Larry Wise (28 pts), and Zach Toussaint (26 pts) all had big night's offensively. Wise connected on 22 of his points in the first half alone.

It will be a quick turnaround for ENMU as they are set to host Lubbock Christian Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. for the Pink Day game. Fans are encouraged to bring cash for a 50/50 raffle. The game will also be streamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network.