PORTALES, N.M. – (RV) Eastern New Mexico stays at home for a Sunday conference matchup against (RV) Midwestern State. Before the contest, please take a look at the Starting Five:
1.) Oh So Close: Eastern New Mexico men's basketball fell to (RV) Lubbock Christian, 77-71, Friday night. The Greyhounds were led by
Treyvon Byrd who finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Jaden Clarke continued to play well off the bench with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Both teams pulled down 30 rebounds. LCU committed 12 turnovers, while ENMU only committed eight total. The Chaps has three players score in double figures – Ethan Duncan (26 pts), Jaylen Thompson (14 pts), and Sean Murphy (13 pts). Lubbock Christian broke Eastern New Mexico's four-game winning streak in the series.
2.) Moment for Murillo: Jose Murillo had his second career double-double in the loss to Lubbock Christian. The junior scored 14 points and added ten rebounds in the outing. He also posted a season-best four blocks. He currently is second in the nation hitting 75.3% of his shots from the floor. He made 6-of-8 baskets on Friday night. Murillo recorded 10+ rebounds for just the third time in his collegiate career and 4+ blocks for the fifth time ever. He is fourth on the team averaging 13.2 points per game and second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per contest.
3.) Battle of the Sixth Man: Sunday's matchup will feature two talented "six-men" in the Lone Star Conference.
Jaden Clarke comes into the contest leading ENMU in scoring with 13.6 points per game as he has appeared in all 12 contests and has made two starts. The Bronx, N.Y. native has scored 19+ points in three-straight contests. Against LCU, he finished with 19 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. He has scored 23 points twice this season in matchups versus MSU Denver and Navajo Tech. Reggie Hill is Midwestern State's leading rebounder with 7.1 per game and has started just one time in eleven contests. Hill has scored 10+ points in back-to-back games, including an 11 point and five rebound performance versus West Texas A&M on the road.
4.) Flipping The Coin: The last four matchups between Eastern New Mexico and Midwestern State have been split. The home side has won each of those meetings. Overall, MSU leads the series 38-18. A primary reason why the Mustangs have such a distinct edge is because of a 20-game win streak from 2007-17. The last two meetings have been dominated by the home team. MSU beat ENMU in Wichita Falls on Feb. 8, 2024, 93-54. The total dominance saw Pierre Sanders score 18 points for the Mustangs. ENMU's two returning starters,
Jose Murillo and
Mario Whitley, only combined for one point in the contest. It was a different story the last time both squads met in Portales as ENMU came away with a 108-91 win. The margin of victory is the largest in series history in favor of Eastern. Whitley had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the victory. Four different returners for MSU scored in double figures combining for 78 of the team's 91 points. Those players include Mason Gibson, Pierre Sanders, Will Shepherd, and Reggie Hill. All four are expected to contribute Sunday afternoon.
5.) Mustangs Danger: Two players for MSU score in double figures – Mason Gibson (18.2 ppg) and Pierre Sanders (11.6 ppg). Will Shepherd is not far behind at 9.6 points per contest. The program is coming off an impressive win over No. 13 West Texas A&M in Canyon. The Mustangs pulled out the 70-69 win after trailing by eight points at halftime. Sanders (18 pts), Gibson (13 pts), and Hill (11 pts) all scored in double figures in the win. MSU finished 26-of-54 (48.1%) from the floor and had contributions from nine different student-athletes in the matchup. They took the lead for the first time in the game with 14 minutes left in the second half. Over the final 14 minutes of the contest, the lead changed nine times. Midwestern State limited WT's primary scorer, Ahamed Mohammed, to shoot just 5-of-15 from the floor.
