LAREDO, Texas – Eastern New Mexico men's basketball tied a program record 12 road game victories after an 85-71 win over Texas A&M International on Thursday night.
"They are a good defensive team," said head coach Daven Võ when asked about the Dustdevils. "At some point we thought the game was going to end with got to 70 points."
The thought process for a low scoring affair is notable because Eastern came into the game as a top four scoring offense and TAMIU was one of the lowest rated teams in the Lone Star Conference with points per outing.
Texas A&M International held an early lead as they extended it to as much as seven points (18-11) just six minutes into the contest. However, both teams would share a pair of small runs and ENMU would take a 41-37 score into halftime.
"This was not a walk in the park," said Võ. "Coach McConnell gets them to play hard."
TAMIU began the second half with a quick 5-0 run to retake the lead and both teams traded layups before Eastern would take control of the game with the game's eighth lead change. ENMU had a season-best 61.4% mark from the floor. They also did not need to attempt to shoot from beyond the arc as they only went 1-for-4 from that territory.
The versatility of the Eastern New Mexico lineup continues to shine as five players finished with 10+ points.
Austin Abrams and
Jose Murillo led the team with 17 points each. What is most impressive are their marks from the field. Abrams made 8-of-9 shots and Murillo was 7-for-9.
Mo Austin finished the night with 14 points. The Pueblo, Colo. native was the best rebounder for ENMU as he pulled down eight rebounds. All eight came on the defensive end. Austin dished out seven of the team's 16 assists and now ranks third in the conference with 4.2 per game.
The bench play was a big difference maker for the Greyhounds. In just nine minutes of action,
Modibo Sanogo went 5-for-5 to score 11 points. The first year Greyhound had not scored more than four points in a game this season prior to the win against TAMIU.
Kobe Smith (9),
Zaylan Chaney (3), and
Elijah Hollins (2) also scored for Eastern off the bench.
Treyvon Byrd was the final Hound to score in double figures as he posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. He added three rebounds, three assists, and a steal on a statistically quiet night for the senior.
One of the most impressive aspects of the night was the fact that Murillo rejected five shots. He has 13 blocks over his last three games and has extended his conference leading block total to 48. He has 10 more blocks than the closest athlete.
ENMU nearly outscored TAMIU in the paint alone. The Greyhounds won that battle against the Dustdevils, 64-20. Eastern continues to be one of the best in the nation playing in transition. They scored 19 fast break points in the outing.
Texas A&M International had four players score in double figures, but were limited to 45.8% shooting from the floor.
Two notable feats came out of the game. Firstly, the program tied the most away wins (12) in a single season. They will have a chance to break that in two days. Also, Murillo set the school record for most games played in a Greyhound career with 114.
Eastern New Mexico is back in action on Saturday to face Texas A&M-Kingsville on the road. The game is part of FloCollege's efforts to provide coverage of special games. The contest will be available on their YouTube page for free. A link will be shared later.