PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball clinched the second most wins in conference play in a single season with a "team first" 96-85 win over St. Edward's.

Coming into the game, ENMU ranked fifth in conference standings and SEU stood at sixth. Eastern remains at fifth with the win, but the Hounds knocked the Hilltoppers all the way to eighth.

"Our guys know how much these games mean to us," said head coach Daven Võ after the win. "It took our guys 40 minutes of being locked in."

For a 17th time this season, Eastern New Mexico shot above 50% as a team from the floor. The Greyhounds made 38-of-70 (54.3%) attempts from the field. They also tied their third best mark of the season by making 50% of shots from deep range. In total, Eastern had nine three-pointers from four different players.

One player who shined for ENMU was senior Mario Whitley. The Saginaw, Mich. native posted his conference-leading tenth double-double after securing 27 points and 13 rebounds. Whitley had nine rebounds in the first half alone.

"Mario (Whitley) played like a man possessed," remarked Võ when asked about the performance from the forward. "He picked up like he did in Alpine."

Võ was referring to Whitley's career-high 32 points that he scored in Saturday's road win over Sul Ross State. Over the last five days, Whitley has combined for 59 points.

The win was not just special because of the numbers on the stat sheet for Whitley. He had a little extra motivation in the stands at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena.

Whitley had a supportive cheering section consisting of his mother, aunt, brothers, and daughter.

"It means everything," said Whitley when asked about having his family at the game. "I'm happy they are here."

The senior's mother, Margaret, had not caught a game since his high school playing days according to Mario Whitley.

Jaden Clarke provided a rapid spark for the ENMU offense off the bench. He continues to be one of the brightest contributors to the program with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Senior Cougar Downing bettered his conference-leading three point percentage mark going 4-of-6 from deep range tonight. He finished with 15 points and six rebounds. It is the most rebounds from Downing in a conference game this year.

Cooper Jackson got the start for ENMU today. The Lawrence, Kan. native posted 12 points, four assists, and two steals. He now becomes just the seventh player in program history with 60+ steals in a season. Three more steals will move him into top five all-time.

Treyvon Byrd has now scored in double figures for the 18th time this season. The junior finished the evening with 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. He ended up posting four assists, which is the second most he has recorded in a single game this year. Byrd is also on a five-game streak of posting at least one blocked shot.

Another positive area was the guard play from ENMU. Freshman Mo Austin helped the program commit just 11 turnovers on the night. That number is the seventh lowest turnovers in a single game for Eastern this season.

The win keeps Eastern New Mexico in control of their own destiny. Võ remarked on the importance of continuing to win and making sure that his team stayed focused on each game.

Eastern dominated the game in transition as they scored 22 fastbreak points compared to just two fastbreak points for SEU.

The Hounds will close out home play for the 2024-25 season with a game against one of the best teams in the Lone Star Conference Saturday afternoon. St. Mary's (TX) comes into town after a loss to West Texas A&M. They currently sit in fourth in the LSC standings ahead of ENMU.