DURANGO, Colo. – A defensive focused contest was the outlook for Friday night's 66-55 loss for Eastern New Mexico men's basketball against No. 22 Fort Lewis.

Both teams forced each other to turnover the ball several times due to pesky defense. FLC gave up the ball 20 times and ENMU did so 19 times. Two-time Kansas junior college defensive player of the year, Cooper Jackson continued his mantra of a defensive-first attitude. He finished the game with four steals along with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

The deep-range shot threatened Eastern New Mexico's game in Durango. A chilly night in southern Colorado made for an even chillier performance from behind the three-point arc. ENMU finished 2-of-15 from that department while allowing the Skyhawks to connect for nine made three's.

Eastern looked comfortable in the paint outearning points on the night, 32-26. Mario Whitley finished with 13 points and Jaden Clarke added ten points. Mo Austin provided some strong moments in his first game as a Greyhound. The freshman from Pueblo, Colo. made all three of his shot attempts for six total points.

ENMU struggled to even out the rebounding battle as Fort Lewis grabbed 41 boards compared to just 32 for the Hounds. Whitley snagged the most rebounds for Eastern with six total.

Despite trailing by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, Eastern New Mexico was able to pull within five points at the 6:14 mark, 53-48. However, Fort Lewis finished strong over the final minutes of the contest outscoring ENMU, 13-7.

"Fort Lewis shot the ball well down the stretch," said head coach Daven Võ. "We gave ourselves a chance defensively. We have to do a better job moving the ball."

The Greyhounds will now look forward to an in-state matchup with New Mexico Highlands scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. MT. The game will be covered on the RMAC Network.