PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball broke the school point scoring record with a 160-40 win over Navajo Tech Friday night.
ENMU was coming off a peculiar road trip that saw them get back to Portales, N.M. in the wee hours of Friday morning.
Eastern New Mexico only had a few hours to get ready for the 6 p.m. matchup against the in-state Skyhawks. The program did not look tired on the hardwood as they had their best offensive outing.
Eleven different Hounds scored in double figures in the dominating victory.
Fans inside Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena got their first look of newcomer
Austin Abrams. The DI transfer scored a game-high 24 points shooting 10-of-17 from the floor. Abrams picked up his first collegiate double double with 11 assists added to his name.
"He's really strong and plays hard," said head coach Daven Võ when asked about the sophomore. "He's going to help us get better."
Abrams showed his range from behind the arc connecting on two of his five shot attempts. He also led the team with seven steals. In total, ENMU had a whopping 38 steals against Navajo Tech. He was third among teammates with eight rebounds.
One of the key offensive weapons for Eastern New Mexico was their ability to score in the paint. On the night, the Hounds finished with 130 points in the paint, 21 points from behind the arc, six points from midrange, and three points from the charity stripe.
ENMU managed to force 47 turnovers on the night and turn those possessions into 70 points. Nine Hounds had three or more steals in the win.
Cooper Jackson, the nation's leader in steals, finished with four.
Treyvon Byrd and
Alex Alfaro also posted four steals.
Jaden Clarke scored the second most points with 23 total. His notable stat was being a perfect 11-for-11 from the floor. He managed to hit several jumpers, layups, and dunks to continue his impressive play offensively. He was one of three players for ENMU with a double double as he led the way with ten rebounds.
Also finishing with a double double was
Treyvon Byrd who had 11 points and ten assists. The Durham, N.C. native has scored 10+ points in seven-straight games.
One of the bright spots was the turnout from Greyhound faithful. Two players had a little extra boost from some former high school teammates.
Raul Stanford and
Jose Murillo were paraded with support from Highland High School student-athletes coming to watch Friday's game.
Murillo, who ranks in the top two nationally in field goal percentage, went 8-for-10 while earning 16 points and six rebounds. Stanford had season-high marks throughout the stat sheet. He completed the matchup with 14 points, five assists, three steals, and two rebounds. He also sunk a couple three-point shots.
For a third-straight game,
Mo Austin scored in double figures with 10 points. He added five assists and four rebounds in just 17 minutes of game time.
Off the bench,
Johnathan Lyons Jr. (14 pts),
Alex Alfaro (12 pts),
Kevin Rankin (12 pts), and
Brandon Kehres (10 pts) provided a nice spark. Most of their efforts came midway through the second half as ENMU extended the scoring margin past the century mark.
Eastern New Mexico is now finished with nonconference play and will resume conference action January 3 against Lubbock Christian. Currently, the Hounds sit 8-3 (3-2 LSC).