Austin lifts Hounds to win

No one probably foresaw a 16-0 lead over the first four minutes for Eastern New Mexico University's men on Sunday.

Despite that, it took every bit of energy for the Greyhounds to pull out their Lone Star Conference tilt against Midwestern State at Steve Loy Arena.

Freshman guard Mo Austin scored seven of his game-high 22 points in the final 2 ½ minutes, including the game-winner with three seconds left, as ENMU claimed an 83-81 Lone Star Conference victory over the Mustangs.

Austin finished off an 8-0 Hounds surge with his lone 3-pointer of the contest, giving ENMU a 79-76 lead with 1:56 left. MSU senior guard Jonathan Jackson then tied the game with a 3, and the teams swapped free throws in the remaining time to set up the final shot.

Austin said he got some motivation from his parents.

"That was a great team win," he said. "I got chewed out by my parents to be more aggressive. Even my teammates challenged me to be more aggressive today.

'"They all had confidence in me, and that allowed me to be more aggressive."

MSU (9-3, 4-2 LSC) ended the half on a 15-4 run to takes its first lead at 49-48, and the Mustangs were up by seven in the second half before the Hounds (9-4, 4-3) rallied back. Four of Midwestern's LSC clashes have been decided by two points or less (2-2).

Senior forward Mario Whitley added his fifth double-double of the campaign with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Hounds, while junior forward Jose Murillo chipped in 14 points and eight boards and junior guard Cougar Downing finished with 13 points.

Murillo had one block in Sunday's clash and is ENMU's all-time career leader in that category with 103.

"They knew they needed to win this," first-year ENMU coach Devan Vo said of his squad, which dropped a close one to Lubbock Christian on Friday night. "Our entire team is made up of a bunch of competitive guys, (and) they responded well."

For the Mustangs, reserve senior guard Bakan LaStrap scored 21 points, including 10-of-10 from the foul line, while senior guard Pierre Sanders added 17, junior guard Mason Gibson 16 and Jackson 12.

ENMU hits the road this weekend, facing Texas-Permian Basin on Thursday night at Odessa and visiting Angelo State on Saturday afternoon.

Lubbock Christian 77, ENMU 71 (Friday) – The visiting Chaparrals shot 41 percent in the first half, which ended in a 32-32 tie, but they blistered the nets at a 68 percent second-half clip (17-of-25), including 8-of-11 from 3-point land, in pulling away to the victory in a rematch of last year's LSC tournament finale. LCU snapped a four-game losing streak to the Hounds, dating to January 2023.

ENMU led twice by six points in the opening stanza, including with just over three minutes left, before LCU took control with an 18-2 lick that carried into the second frame. The margin reached 16 points with under six minutes to go and the Chaps held off a late Hounds rally to nail it down.

Sophomore guard Ethan Duncan scored 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, getting 18 of his tallies after the break. Senior guard Jaylen Thompson scored 14 points off the bench while senior forward Sean Murphy added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

LCU shot 54 percent for the game and finished 14-of-25 from 3-point range.

"They shot the ball extremely well," Vo said. "They had a lot more pop than we did in that second half."

Junior guard/forward Treyvon Byrd scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Hounds, while junior guard Jaden Clarke tallied 17 of his 19 points in the second half. Meantime, Murillo collected his second double-double at ENMU with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.