Eastern New Mexico University's men's basketball team continued its strong start to the season by defeating Colorado State University, Pueblo 70-63 on Saturday night. The win ended CSU Pueblo's unbeaten run and marked the fifth consecutive victory for the Greyhounds.
"We beat a good CSU Pueblo team," said head coach Daven Võ after the game. "I am thankful to come out of here with two victories and 15 healthy bodies."
The Greyhounds led throughout both games at the Thanksgiving Classic tournament, which was hosted by CSU Pueblo. Eastern New Mexico built a lead as large as 14 points late in the first half of Saturday’s contest.
Senior forward Jose Murillo played a significant role, scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Coach Võ praised Murillo’s performance: "Lucky to have a guy like that," Võ said. "He is just incredible and does not complain about getting fouled. He is gritty, hardworking, and is about all the right things."
While CSU Pueblo led in rebounding for much of the game, Eastern New Mexico ultimately finished ahead with a narrow 40-37 margin. Treyvon Byrd and Austin Abrams each contributed five rebounds.
Defensively, Eastern New Mexico held their opponents to just over 32 percent shooting from the field (19-of-59), while shooting nearly 45 percent themselves (25-for-56). The team also forced seven steals and caused ten turnovers, with Mo Austin recording four steals and Cooper Jackson adding two more.
Austin also contributed offensively with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, and made eight of ten free throws while playing in front of his hometown crowd in Pueblo.
Cooper Jackson provided an early spark by making three three-pointers in the first half. He finished with 15 points and three assists.
Eastern New Mexico outscored CSU Pueblo in fastbreak opportunities (20 to 3) and scored more points in the paint (38 to 22).
With this win, Eastern New Mexico improves its record to 5-1 for the season. The team will next play at home against Cameron on December 4th and Oklahoma Christian on December 6th at Steve Loy Family Foundation Arena.
