Box Score LAREDO, Texas – It took extra play to decide a winner between Eastern New Mexico and Texas A&M International in a rare Sunday matchup in Lone Star Conference play. The Dustdevils prevailed in the tightly contested battle, 79-78.
"We found a way to stay in it," said head coach Daven Võ on the matchup. "We just couldn't get anything going on offense."
ENMU finished 23-of-57 (40.4%) from the floor and only connected on two three-point shots. A high percentage of the team's scoring came from the charity stripe. The Greyhounds went 30-for-38 (78.9%) on free throws.
Jose Murillo (28) and
Mo Austin (10) had career-high point totals for Eastern New Mexico.
Murillo stayed consistent in the paint throughout the game. He made 10-of-12 shots from the floor and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Murillo was a key x-factor in the contest as he played a career-high 43 minutes.
Austin played 39 minutes in the loss. He finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. He added four rebounds, two assists, and a block.
Senior
Mario Whitley nearly grabbed a double-double. He finished with 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Greyhounds were not as pesky defensively, but still managed to force TAMIU to commit 15 turnovers.
One of the major difference makers between the two squads was shooting from behind-the-arc. In fact, the game winning shot for the Dustdevils was a three-point make with 21 seconds remaining. TAMIU went 9-of-30 from deep range.
The home side carried the lead for about 75% of the game, including an 11 point edge (55-55) with 3:13 left in the second half.
Eastern New Mexico went on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to force a tie ball game. Five different student-athletes scored during ENMU's largest run of the afternoon. Both programs traded free throws once the game was tied (66-66) and went into overtime, 68-68.
ENMU did not trail in the overtime period until the game winning shot by TAMIU. The three-point make lifted the Dustdevils to victory and moved them to 6-6 on the season.
Foul trouble hurt both teams. Texas A&M International finished with 28 total fouls and Eastern New Mexico picked up 25.
The Greyhounds will next play at 2 p.m. MT in a Tuesday contest at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
