PORTALES, N.M. –
Cooper Jackson came up big time on senior day helping Eastern New Mexico men's basketball close out the regular season with a 79-77 win over Angelo State.
"I'm so glad we came out with a win," said head coach Daven Võ after an exhilarating win over ASU. "Angelo State was not going to go away. They made us make mistakes."
Despite the barrage of turnovers and costly mistakes, ENMU pulled away from the upset-minded Rams. Angelo State took the lead late in the game (77-75) despite trailing by as many as nine points (68-59) with 6:22 remaining. Senior
Cooper Jackson had other plans. The slick guard tied the game with seven seconds remaining and proceeded to steal the in-bound pass from ASU and score the game winning bucket. It is his second game-clinching basket of the 2025-26 campaign.
"Coach drew up a really good play," said
Cooper Jackson after the win. "I had a lane to drive and I took it. I saw the moment and took advantage of it."
Jackson could have easily turned his back and not chosen to stay guarding on the baseline after the game-tying bucket. Instead, he stayed locked in defensively and noticed the Rams taking out the ball "nonchalantly" and ended up securing the victory for Eastern New Mexico.
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The Lawrence, Kan. native scored nine points and snagged three steals in the matchup. He did not have the best game ball handling as he gave up six of the program's 17 turnovers. However, he was able to respond well when it mattered the most.
Eastern New Mexico honored four seniors on Saturday.
Jose Murillo had a career-high 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting. He also went 9-for-11 from the free throw line. The Mexico native finished the game with four rebounds and two assists before fouling out with just over a minute to spare. Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena gave him a standing ovation for his incredible time in Portales.
"It means a lot to see my family here," said senior
Jose Murillo who was joined by several loved ones during the game. "I loved the crowd."
Treyvon Byrd earned 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Most impressively, he connected on all five of his attempts from the charity stripe.
Two other non-seniors scored in double figures for the Hounds.
Austin Abrams came in clutch with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He earned five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Abrams played 33 minutes in the contest.
Mo Austin was one of the most important players on the floor tonight. The speedy sophomore put up 10 points and had a team-high four assists.
Angelo State shot the ball at a high clip. The Rams made 59% of their attempts on the night and set that tone early by sinking four of their first five shots. They also connected on 11-of-13 from the charity stripe. The difference tonight came in the rebounding battle. ENMU out-rebounded the Rams, 29-20. Eastern had 15 offensive rebounds compared to just 14 defensive rebounds. Those offensive boards helped the Hounds score 21 second chance points.
Both teams battled strong in the paint all game long. ENMU won that battle, 44-36.
Tonight's win clinches the No. 2 seed for Eastern New Mexico in next week's Lone Star Conference tournament in Frisco. ENMU will face No. 7 seed West Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. CT in the quarterfinals.