PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball is on a roll after a convincing, 91-68, win over conference foe Oklahoma Christian.

"It was a dog fight," said newcomer Jaden Clarke when asked about the win after the game. "It was two teams that play hard."

Both the Greyhounds and Eagles showcased their ability to play hard defensively. Oklahoma Christian committed 18 turnovers, while Eastern New Mexico finished the night with 19 turnovers. However, ENMU was the team that responded to those turnovers more efficiently.

"The tougher team is going to win," told senior Mario Whitley to his teammates before the matchup.

Eastern toughed out the turnovers and scored 23 points off those Eagle mistakes. Seven student-athletes had at least one steal on the night. The nation's leader in steals per game, Cooper Jackson, finished with four on the night. It is his fifth game with four or more steals this season.

Clarke was the game's leading scorer with 18 points. He shot 8-of-11 from the floor despite playing just 17 minutes off the bench. The Bronx, N.Y. native added four rebounds and two steals.

ENMU never gave up the lead the entire game. In fact, the score differential was 10+ points for the final 33 minutes of the contest.

The Greyhounds controlled the game inside during the first half. Eastern scored 36 points inside the arc in the opening period. It was a reversal in the second half as ENMU got hot from the three-point arc.

The Hounds connected on 9-of-17 shots from deep range in the second half. A much-improved mark from their 1-for-7 mark in the first half. One of the most confident shooters for Eastern was Treyvon Byrd who hit both of his three-point attempts. Byrd finished the game with ten points and three assists.

Also scoring in double figures was Cooper Jackson (17) and Mario Whitley (13). Whitley earned his conference-leading, fourth double-double as he secured ten rebounds along the way. Jackson dished out a collegiate-best eight assists.

When asked about his favorite moment from the victory, Jaden Clarke praised freshman Brandon Kehres. The Las Cruces, N.M. native appeared in his first game against a DII foe in a major way. He played 12 minutes and scored eight points while hauling in two rebounds.

Jose Murillo was a consistent presence down low. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. His six points and eight rebounds helped ENMU extend their early first half advantage.

Once again, ENMU won the rebound battle, 38-31. Eastern New Mexico came into the game ranked third in the nation in total rebound margin.

Lone Star Conference play continues as Cameron comes into Portales Saturday afternoon. The weekend affair is part of ENMU Athletics toy drive. Fans who bring in a new, unwrapped toy will gain admission to both the women's and men's games. The women will tipoff at 1 p.m. December 7 and the men will follow directly afterwards.