PORTALES, N.M. – Lone Star Conference dominance continues for Eastern New Mexico men's basketball as they extend their win streak to five games after an 80-70 win over UT Tyler Saturday afternoon.

"We found a way to win," said head coach Daven Võ after the win. "They did a good job on defense and we got it done."

In a game featuring two of the best rebounding teams in the league, ENMU took care of that category with a 37-31 mark. Seniors Treyvon Byrd (11) and Jose Murillo (9) combined for 20 rebounds and helped carry ENMU inside. Eastern narrowly won the battle in the paint, 32-30. One of the best differences was the Hounds 16 second chance points compared to just six for the Patriots.

Austin Abrams had the hot hand for Eastern offensively. The Maryland native scored nine points in each half to secure 18 total. He went 6-for-11 from the field and made both of his attempts from deep range.

ENMU's defense in the first half set the tone for the game. UT Tyler only made 30.8% of their shots in the opening 20 minutes. The shots began to fall for the Patriots in the second half and they were able to go on two major runs – a 10-0 and 9-0 scoring spree. However, the Greyhounds got into the bonus early and Eastern had its second-best shooting performance from the charity stripe. The team went 22-of-27 (81.5%) from the free throw line. It's just the third time this season the Hounds have shot above 80% from the charity stripe and the fifth time they've been above 75%.

Mo Austin led all scorers with 21 points while shooting 8-of-11 during the outing. He extended his double-digit scoring efforts for the 11th time this season. Austin helped close down the game with crunch time free throws going 5-for-6.

In total, all five starters scored in double figures for a third-straight contest.

Jose Murillo continues to play through some rigorous defensive pressure. He battled through despite only connecting on 5-of-12 from the field. Murillo scored 15 points and added nine rebounds, two blocks, and an assist.

Treyvon Byrd had an impressive double-double coming down with crucial rebounds throughout the entirety of the game. He had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals.

Cooper Jackson was all over the stat sheet. Going into the game he was third in the nation in steals and added three more to his credit. Jackson posted 10 points, three assists, and three rebounds.

Despite only shooting 44.3% from the field, ENMU found a way to win and improve to 17-3 (10-2 LSC).

Eastern New Mexico will now be in the Sooner state (home of Daven Võ) for the next two games set for Thursday and Saturday. More information can be found on www.goeasternathletics.com