PORTALES, N.M. -  Lone Star Conference play is back this week as Eastern New Mexico men's basketball travels to face UT Permian Basin and No. 11 Angelo State this week. Before the Hounds hit the road, please take a look at the Starting Five:

1.) Nonconference Review: Finished nonconference action with a 4-2 nod. ENMU holds DII wins over New Mexico Highlands (102-75) and Adams State (92-82). The Greyhounds also beat in-state foes Northern New Mexico and Navajo Tech in December. The only two losses have come against then-No. 15 Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks earned a 20-point win in Greyhound Arena and found a way to beat Eastern on a buzzer-beater in Durango. It is just the second time in the last six years Eastern New Mexico has earned a winning record in nonconference play.

2.) Lone Star Perfection: The Hounds are 4-0 in conference play for the first time since 2002-03 when the program finished 11-1 in league action. ENMU has scored 100+ points in three of the four games against LSC foes to begin the 2023-24 season. One of the strongest wins for the program is a 104-94 result over DBU on the road. Wing Jahcoree Ealy scored a career-high 42 points in the contest. The largest win margin for Eastern New Mexico is a home victory versus St. Edward's, 103-70. Only LCU, WT, ENMU, and ASU are perfect so far in conference games.

3.) Raise The Standard: Eastern New Mexico leads the Lone Star Conference in three major statistical categories – assists per game (20.7), blocks per game (5.7), and defensive rebounds per game (28.6). Senior Lyron Bennett is a major reason why ENMU dishes out so many assists as he leads the team with 49. Three Greyhounds have at least 30 defensive rebounds – Conrad Luczynski (35), Lyron Bennett (33), and Mario Whitley (32). Jose Murillo and Luczynski lead the Hounds with 17 blocks. Both players have tied or set the school record for blocks in a single game. The record sits with Luczynski after his seven-block night versus Northern New Mexico.

4.) Oh So Close: For a third straight poll, ENMU is receiving votes in the NCAA DII rankings. As of this week, the Greyhounds hold 26 votes which places them as the team with the 26th most votes. Three teams are ranked in the poll from the LSC – West Texas A&M (4), DBU (6), and Angelo State (11). One program that Eastern played twice this season sits at number 10, Fort Lewis. The last time Eastern New Mexico was ranked was January 7, 1996 as they held a No. 16 ranking.

5.) Tough Competition Ahead: Eastern split the series versus UT Permian Basin and Angelo State during the 2022-23 season with the home side taking the win in each of the matchups. The Falcons come into the matchup as the best scoring defense in the Lone Star Conference letting up just 63.5 points per contest. Another key to UT Permian Basin is how effective they are in shooting from behind the arc (40.7%). No. 11 Angelo State forces opposing teams to miss shots. They lead the LSC in field goal percentage defense (39.2%) and three-point field goal percentage defense (29.7%).