PORTALES, N.M. – Fans at Steve Loy Family Foundation were at the edge of their seats over the final minutes of (RV) Eastern New Mexico men's basketball game against (RV) Midwestern State. ENMU pulled out the much-needed 83-81 win off a layup by freshman Mo Austin.

"That was a great team win," remarked Austin when asked about the victory. "I got chewed out by my parents to be more aggressive. Even my teammates challenged me to be more aggressive today. They all had confidence in me and that allowed me to be more aggressive."

The Pueblo, Colo. native's bucket came with three seconds remaining and was the closing mark on an exciting night inside Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena. Both the women's and men's programs earned wins off last second shots today.

Eastern began Sunday evening's game on a strong note as they scored the matchup's first 16 points over the opening four minutes of play. The large lead stayed until midway through the first half before MSU fought back with urgent desire. Over the final nine minutes of the game, the Mustangs outscored the Greyhounds, 28-10, earning the lead for the first time in the matchup. With a 49-48 advantage, MSU looked like they would continue to stay hot in the second half.

Head coach Daven Võ advised his team during the intermission to go to the core on what the team does best. Play defense and rebound. They did just that over the final 20 minutes of action by holding MSU to just 32 points on 12-of-28 (42.9%) shooting from the floor. In the final period, Eastern outrebounded the visitors, 26-14, including seven rebounds from both Mario Whitley and Jose Murillo in the half.

Austin led all scorers with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. The freshman had a memorable game on both sides of the court. He added four assists, three steals (season high), three rebounds, and two blocks (season high).

"They knew they need to win this," said Võ when asked about his team's mindset before the game. "Our entire team is made up of a bunch of competitive guys. They responded well."

Mario Whitley (16 pts), Jose Murillo (14 pts), and Cougar Downing (13 pts) all scored in double figures for ENMU. Whitley did so on 6-of-11 shooting. The senior from Saginaw, Mich. earned his fifth double-double of the season as he pulled down 11 rebounds in the effort. He also supplied two assists and a season-best two blocks.

Murillo had a productive outing with eight rebounds and a block. The Highland HS graduate got into some early foul trouble but rallied throughout the second half by playing all 20 minutes in the closing period of play. Murillo hit a milestone mark this weekend as he became the school's career block leader. He now holds 103 total blocks to his credit.

Downing bounced back Sunday as he went 4-of-9 from the floor, including hitting three three's. The Kansas native also posted two assists and two rebounds.

One of the key players for ENMU defensively was Treyvon Byrd. The first-year Hound grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds. He helped the team outrebound the Mustangs, 42-34.

The Greyhounds have beaten MSU in three of the last four matchups.

Eastern New Mexico will now turn their attention to a crucial Lone Star Conference road trip. They will play UT Permian Basin Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. MT and head to Angelo State Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. MT tip.