TYLER, Texas – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball rose up to the challenge for a 87-75 road win over UT Tyler Thursday night.

"Our guys stuck with the game plan. They embraced the physicality," said head coach Daven Võ on his team after the win. "We knew it was going to be hard. UT Tyler is excellent inside. They got us a few times and we did not panic."

Eastern New Mexico lost the battle in the paint (40-38) for just the second time this season, but it did not matter as the Hounds were able to dish out the ball to connect on shots from different ranges. ENMU had their third most three's made this season as they went 9-for-18 from behind the arc. Mario Whitley connected on a team-best 4-for-7 from three point range. Prior to this outing, the Saginaw, Mich. native had only hit three three-point shots in 15 games this season.

"Just being tough," said senior Mario Whitley when asked about what it took to earn the win tonight. "I told the guy's that it was going to be a man's game."

Mario Whitley remained tied with St. Mary's (TX) Lachlan Bofinger with nine total double doubles this season. Whitley had a game-high 26 points along with 12 rebounds and seven assists.

ENMU passed the ball extremely well throughout the game. The Hounds totaled 22 assists – the most against a DII opponent this season. Freshman Mo Austin matched his season-high of six assists. He has accomplished that feat three different times this year.

Eastern New Mexico held the lead for about 70% of the matchup and only let UT Tyler take as large as a three point edge midway through the second half. The game started out in favor of ENMU before the Patriots made a quick run to earn a brief lead during the midpoint of the opening half. The Hounds had a late push in the first period of play to extend their lead to ten points (38-28) with 2:20 remaining. The home side used the rest of the half to get the contest within five.

The story of the first half came from ENMU's ability to make five three pointers and Cougar Downing carrying the team with 14 points. The Hounds limited the Patriots to connect on just 37.5% of their shots in the opening 20 minutes. Eastern ended up hitting more than 50% of their attempts during that time frame.

The second half saw an early push from the Patriots, which resulted in them changing the trajectory of the game. Less than three minutes into the second half, UT Tyler already held a 43-42 advantage. Over the next six minutes, the game steered in favor of the home team, but ENMU was able to keep it within a singular possession or hold the score all square. That was until Eastern began a push with eight minutes remaining in the game.

An 11-2 run earned ENMU a 68-62 advantage just in time for the under-8 timeout. That late push sealed the deal for the Greyhounds and helped them move to 12-6 (7-5 LSC) on the year.

Downing finished the game with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Freshman Mo Austin continues to play well in conference contests as he scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in 31 minutes on the floor.

Junior Jose Murillo got into double figures again with ten points and added five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block. Võ expressed in a postgame interview that a late second half steal from Murillo was a turning point in the game that helped ENMU earn the win. Off the bench, Jaden Clarke scored ten points and garnered three rebounds.

UT Tyler was limited to just six three-point makes and only had three players in double figures.

Fastbreak points were a beneficial factor for the Hounds tonight as they won that battle, 18-5. The quick pace set the tone for the green and silver. Eastern New Mexico has gone four-straight games shooting above 50% from the floor.

The Greyhounds will head to the DFW-area for a Saturday matchup with No. 12 Dallas Baptist. The game is expected to begin at 1 p.m. MT. ENMU leads the overall series over DBU, 3-2.