Hounds post 1,000th all-time win

PORTALES – It's taken a while, but Eastern New Mexico University men's basketball has finally reached 1,000 wins.

The Greyhounds accomplished the feat on Saturday with a solid 73-65 Lone Star Conference victory at Greyhound Arena over a hot Texas A&M-Kingsville squad. More importantly, it keeps ENMU (12-6, 7-5 LSC) right in the thick of the chase for the league's eight-team postseason tournament in late February.

Five players scored in double figures, led by junior forward Jahcoree Ealy with 18 points. The Hounds moved in front for good with a 17-3 surge late in the first half, then opened the second stanza with a 16-3 blitz en route to a 17-point cushion with under 12 minutes remaining.

"It was a great game for us," Ealy said. "We came in with a great game plan, and we executed it."

Freshman forward Blazej Czerniewicz added 11 points while senior guard Eze Dike, sophomore forward Errol White and junior guard Greg Johnson tallied 10 apiece. White crafted his sixth double-double of the campaign with 10 rebounds.

Meantime, the Hounds limited the Javelinas – who came in on a nine-game winning streak – to 34 percent from the floor and 9-for-31 from distance.

"I think we just beat a really good team," ENMU men's coach Brent Owen said. "It's nice to look at a stat sheet and see 16 assists (five from Dike) and five guys in double figures.

"I think Blazej may have played his best game of the year. Jose (Murillo, freshman forward) with five blocks set the tone for us defensively and led to some fast breaks."

Murillo on Monday was named the LSC's defensive player of the week. He also had two blocks in a win on Thursday over Texas &M International.

Dating to the start of the program in 1934-35, the Hounds have an all-time record of 1,000-1,203. The program was shut down for two seasons during World War II and again in the 2020-21 campaign due to COVID-19, and ENMU had some wins taken away about a decade ago by the NCAA due to rules violations.

The win also keeps ENMU unbeaten at home this season at 9-0. The Hounds have two key road matchups this week, visiting Angelo State on Thursday and Texas-Permian Basin on Friday.

"Now we're just hoping we can steal some (wins) on the road," Ealy said. "If we can do that, we'll be in great shape."

Kingsville (14-6, 8-4) led 21-15 with 11 minutes left in the half before the Hounds hit them with their first long run. The Javelinas managed only junior guard Isaiah Payne's 3-pointer over an eight-minute span.

Kingsville closed to 34-33 at halftime, but Dike's 3-pointer from the right corner kicked off the second half and the Hounds went on to lead by 14 at the first media timeout. They never let the Javelinas get closer than seven the rest of the way.

Owen agreed that this week's games are big. The LSC will take the two division winners and the next six best records in conference play to the tourney.

"It's an absolute dogfight in the middle of the Lone Star right now," he said. "There are eight spots in the conference tournament, and about 15 of us are still in contention."

The Hounds shot better than 50 percent for much of the game, finishing at 48 percent (25-of-52). They also went 5-of-12 from 3-point range and converted 18-of-24 charity tosses.

Payne led the Javelinas with 19 points, shooting 8-of-13 overall and 3-of-4 from distance, while junior guard C.J. Smith added 13.