THE RUNDOWN
PORTALES, N.M. – MSU Texas senior guard Brandon Neel scored a season-high 32 points as the Mustangs pulled the curtain on Eastern New Mexico, 89-74. Midwestern State improved to 10-16 on the season and 6-10 in Lone Star Conference play, tying Cameron for sixth place in league standings.
 
MSU, which led for over 33 minutes in the game, never trailed by more than four in the first half, taking the lead for good on a Neel layup with 9:28 to go before intermission. After claiming the lead, the Mustangs forced the issue, stretching the edge to 11 at the half, up 47-36.
 
Neel had 23 in the first half alone, getting seemingly everything to fall, shooting 71.4 percent from deep on five made treys. Sophomore guard Logan Hicks tacked on 11 more in the first 20 minutes as the Mustangs' backcourt singlehandedly outscored ENMU, 38-36.
 
In the second half, the Mustangs lead never returned to single digits and pushed to as many as 20 with 7:07 to go.
 
Playing against his younger brother, senior guard Devante Pullum added 11 points while he, Hicks and junior forward Ola Ayodele each recorded three assists.
 
Devin Pullum led the Greyhounds, going for 22 points on 70 percent shooting.

NOTES
- Midwestern State improved to 10-16 on the season and 6-10 in Lone Star Conference play with an 89-74 win over Eastern New Mexico on Thursday at Greyhound Arena.
- The Mustangs snapped a five-game losing streak in LSC games on the road. Prior to tonight's win, the last road LSC win by MSU came on Dec. 30 against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
- MSU's 15-point win was the second-largest margin of victory in a LSC game this season, behind only the team's 22-point win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Feb. 1.
- The Maroon and Gold shot 47.7 percent from the floor and were even better from deep, making 9-of-17 attempts from beyond the arc.
- MSU outrebounded the Greyhounds, 39-32, winning the battle on the glass for the 10^th-time this season. The Mustangs converted 16 offensive rebounds into 16 second chance points.
- Both teams scored 42 points in the painted area.
- Senior guard Brandon Neel went for 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting against the Greyhounds, draining six three pointers, all season highs for the Mustangs. The Cincinnati native had the most points in a MSU uniform since Kevin Grayer had 33 against Texas A&M-Commerce on March 6, 2013. Of Neel's 32 points, 23 came in the first half when the senior went 5-of-7 from three-point land. The 32 points were the third-most by an individual in a LSC game this season.
- Sophomore guard Logan Hicks scored in double-figures for the fourth-time in the last five games, going for 13 points. The Temple product played a season-high 37 minutes.
- Junior forward Ola Ayodele notched a season-high 12 points, hitting all five shots from the field while also grabbing five rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 17 against Western New Mexico in Silver City. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.