SILVER CITY, N.M. – Gritty and tough. That is how No. 24 Eastern New Mexico played in a 93-85 win over in-state foe Western New Mexico.

"They were ready," said head coach Daven Võ when asked about WNMU's preparation to face the ranked Greyhounds. "Our guys (ENMU) stuck with it and believed in what we wanted to do. They handled it well."

It's no joke that Western was ready to play against one of the best teams in the Lone Star Conference. WNMU was coming off an overtime win over No. 14 West Texas A&M and were seeking their third ranked win over a span of five contests. The Hounds had other plans.

Eastern held the upper hand over the opening ten minutes of the game despite the largest advantage being five points (21-16) after a basket by Mika Tangermann moments before the second media timeout.

The Mustangs took advantage over the final ten minutes of the opening period of play. They grew their lead by as many as seven points (36-29) with 3:08 left in the frame. Eastern would get within one possession, but WNMU still led 36-33 going into the intermission.

Two important notes for ENMU in the first half came down to Cooper Jackson earning two fouls just 12 minutes into the game and the LSC's leader in field goal percentage, Jose Murillo, going 0-for-5 from the floor. The second half played a different story for Jackson and Murillo.

"Tough game," remarked Murillo when asked about the win. "Everybody played together. It feels good to get this win."

Murillo finished the afternoon with 19 points, five rebounds, and a block. The Chihuahua, Mexico native had 15 of his points in the first half and shot 5-of-6 from the floor to redeem himself after not sinking a field goal in the opening 20 minutes. WNMU did an excellent job keeping Murillo away from the rim in the first half, but could not contain "El Gigante" in the second half.

Jackson may have scored 11 points over the opening 12 minutes of the game, but his second half play was definitely what helped carry the Hounds to a crucial LSC win. The Lawrence, Kan. native had 14 of his 25 total points in the second half. He also had all five of his rebounds and three of his steals in the final period of play.

"My teammates and coaches have trust in me to go out there and make the right play," said Jackson when talking about the win. "Being gritty and having a tough game like this shows our true colors."

Eastern New Mexico is now on a 12-game winning streak, which matches the team's streak from 1967-68. One more win will give them the second longest streak in program history as they are on a quest to match the team's 16-game run from 1949-50.

"I've never been part of something like this. It doesn't matter who is scoring or out there making plays," said Jackson when reflecting on his teammate's support this season. "Everybody wants to see each other win."

ENMU dominated the second half of play to close out the road trip by scoring 60 points in the final frame of play while shooting 65.5% from the floor over the last 20 minutes.

Overall, Eastern had four players score in double figures. Cooper Jackson (25 pts), Mo Austin (24 pts), Jose Murillo (19 pts), and Austin Abrams (12 pts) had productive outings offensively.

Austin had an excellent game as the floor general and scored 18 of his 24 points in the final frame. Despite committing a pair of turnovers, he helped the team establish the attack by driving inside with near ease. The Pueblo, Colo. native drew several fouls in the matchup and shot a whopping 14 free throws (made 12 of them). In school history, 15 free throw attempts have happened by a single player in just 17 total games.

Elijah Hollins (7 pts) and Mika Tangermann (6 pts) were the other contributors offensively for Eastern. Tangermann helped ENMU close out the game serving as the team's inbounder and giving the Hounds a spark to start each possession. He also closed down a handful of screens allowing the Greyhound guards to find open space in the paint to drive to the hoop and score easy buckets. Eastern scored 54 points in the paint compared to just 30 for Western.

Eastern New Mexico had 35 rebounds as a team with Austin pulling down a team-best six boards. ENMU was only credited with six assists and Jackson posted five of those. Both Tangermann and Murillo had a block in the win.

The Greyhounds will play their first game at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena since Dec. 6 as they prepare to host No. 20 St. Mary's on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. The Rattlers come into Portales with an 11-3 (4-2 LSC) record.