PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball comes back to Greyhound Arena for two games versus Angelo State and UT Permian Basin after earning a one-point victory on the road in Kingsville, Texas. Before the Greyhounds begin the two-game home stretch, please take a look at the Starting Five.

1.) Tight Decisions: The program played two close games over the last week. ENMU lost to Texas A&M International, 68-66, and beat Texas A&M-Kingsville, 87-86. The single possession loss is Eastern's fifth this season by three points or less. Versus the Javelinas, the Hounds held on to a lead after TAMUK missed a three-point shot at the buzzer. The team had not won in Kingsville since 2018 and remain winless in Laredo.

2.) Welcome Back to Greyhound Arena: Eastern New Mexico welcomes two familiar opponents to Portales this weekend. Both Angelo State and UT Permian Basin hold a victory over Eastern this season. Then-No. 11 ASU beat ENMU, 88-85, and UTPB held onto a 79-76 result. The game against the Falcons stayed tight throughout the whole second half, while the final period in the contest with the Rams saw Eastern nearly snap an 18-point deficit.

3.) Rookie Experience: One of the bright spots for ENMU last week came from 7-3 freshman Conrad Luczynski. The Bartlett, Illinois native had a career night against the Javelinas as he tied his career-best mark in points (13), field goals (6), and field goal attempts (10). Over the weekend he combined for 19 points and 12 rebounds. He also posted a season-best five offensive rebounds versus TAMUK and posted three blocks in the game at TAMIU.

4.) A Similar Foe: On paper, Angelo State does several things well that Eastern New Mexico is doing well. ASU dishes out 15.6 assists per game, 3.5 blocks per game, and shoot 39.8 percent from the three-point arc. One key difference is the amount of three-point makes (9.7) per game since Eastern does not shoot as many despite holding a higher percentage. Two key struggles for Angelo State are their 14.0 turnovers per game and 19.5 fouls per game. The last time the two teams met saw ASU outscore ENMU in the paint, 44-28.

5.) Soaring and Scoring: UT Permian Basin does not soar to the hoop to score at a rapid pace. Instead, they average just 79.5 points per game. Most importantly, the team only gives up 67.8 points per game to opponents. They find some struggles with rebounding despite having one of the better rebounders in the league – Lathaniel Bastian. Bastian leads the LSC in double-doubles and had a fantastic game versus Eastern earlier in 2024 after scoring 26 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking five shots. The Falcons typically only earn 33.89 rebounds per outing, but getting 40 against ENMU last month propelled them to a crucial win.