PORTALES, N.M. – No. 11 Eastern New Mexico men's basketball is on a five game winning streak and sitting tied at first place in the Lone Star Conference with a 17-3 (10-2 LSC) mark. The next portion of the 2025-26 season takes Eastern to the Sooner state for rematches against Oklahoma Christian and Cameron. Before the Greyhounds face the Eagles, please take a look at the Starting Five Preview:
1.) Greyhounds Stay Rolling: Eastern New Mexico earned their 10th win in conference play with a home victory over UT Tyler on Saturday. The 80-70 result was credited by tough play in the paint and controlling the game down the stretch through the charity stripe. The Greyhounds connected on 22-of-27 (81.5%) from the free throw line.
Treyvon Byrd was effective on the court despite playing just 28 minutes. Byrd found a way to secure his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Greyhounds limited the Patriots from scoring from behind the arc. UT Tyler only went 6-of-22 (27.3%) from three-point range. Another area where UTT struggled was that they gave up 14 turnovers and committed 22 fouls. Eastern ended up winning the points off turnovers battle, 21-10.
2.) Lead The Pack: Eastern is at the top of the Lone Star Conference and 11th in the nation in fastbreak points per game (18.40). Several other players lead the league in various statistical categories.
Jose Murillo is the best in the LSC in blocks (31) and field goal percentage (63.6%).
Cooper Jackson is first in the conference and third in the nation with 63 total steals. ENMU is second in the LSC in field goal percentage (49.6%) and steals per game (10.4).
3.) ENMU Playmakers: For a third-straight game,
Mo Austin,
Austin Abrams,
Jose Murillo,
Treyvon Byrd, and
Cooper Jackson all have scored 10+ points. The five primary starters for Eastern New Mexico have helped the Greyhounds earn key wins in all of those appearances while allowing all teammates opportunities to showcase on both sides of the floor. In the game against UT Tyler,
Mo Austin led all scorers with 21 total points. Austin had 19 of his points in the second half.
Austin Abrams was consistent for ENMU with 18 total points and split each period with nine points each.
Jose Murillo nearly had another double-double – a category where he ranks eighth in the nation in. Murillo helped ENMU with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Cooper Jackson ended the game with 10 points despite shooting just 2-for-11 from the floor.
4.) Rematch Time: This is not the first time this season that Eastern New Mexico and Oklahoma Christian will face off. The Greyhounds earned an 80-59 win over the Eagles back on December 6.
Treyvon Byrd was the difference in the game over OC with 28 points with an 11-for-17 mark from the floor. He also grabbed 11 points on his way to a double-double.
Jose Murillo also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. OC was limited to 20-of-59 (33.9%) shooting and allowed Eastern to block six shots.
5.) Running The Course: Oklahoma Christian is on a three-game losing streak. Most recently, they lost to Midwestern State on the road, 73-68. MSU was led by Orlando Horton Jr. who scored 22 points – the only Mustang in double figures. The Eagles had four players with 10+ points, including Miles Gibson who finished with 21 total points. The only bench player to score for OC was Anthony Ignowski with eight points. The Eagles are strong in a few statistical categories ranking third in three point percentage defense (29.4%) and fouls per game (15.1). Miles Gibson is one of the most consistent players for OC and is fifth in the LSC with a 52.5% field goal percentage. Some areas where they have struggled include ranking 14th in assists per game (11.0), bench points (13.53), and three point percentage (30.4%).
