The St. Edward's men's basketball team opens conference play this week on the road in New Mexico, starting Thursday against Eastern New Mexico and then Saturday against Western New Mexico. 
 
St. Edward's is currently No. 10 in the D2CSC Regional Rankings with a 5-2 record. The frontcourt pairing of SEAN ELKINTON and BLAKE NIELSEN leads the Hilltoppers, first and third in the conference in field goals made. 
 
Elkinton remains a constant double-double threat with four in seven games, leading the Lone Star Conference and ranking third nationally. Once again, Elkinton leads the LSC in total rebounds (66) and is second in rebounds per game (9.4). 
 
Offensively, the sophomore big man has increased his scoring output from 13.4 points to 21.7 points per game. Elkinton has carried a higher workload while increasing his efficiency, jumping from 57.6 percent as a freshman to 58.2 percent through seven games this season. 
 
He's done it, in part, by increasing his 3-point volume and efficiency. His 11 3-pointers made on greater than 50 percent shooting are already closing in on the 16 he made all last season. He's also improved his free-throw rate, averaging 6.29 attempts per game, up from 2.62 last season, ranking second in the LSC while hitting them at a 79.5 percent clip. 
 
Nielsen and the starting backcourt of GAVINO RAMOS and JEFF GARY support Elkinton with a consistent scoring punch. Nielsen and Gary average 14.0 and 13.9 points per game, and each has hit the 20-point mark once this season, with only a single-digit scoring game each. 
 
Ramos is scoring 12.4 points per game and a steady 4.3 assists per game. He and Nielsen (3.9 per game) rank fifth and tenth in the conference, respectively, and fourth and eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio. 
 
vs. Eastern New Mexico (2-2)
 
Eastern New Mexico is coming off a buzzer-beating 75-74 loss to No. 15 Fort Lewis on Nov. 18. The Greyhounds were voted eighth in the LSC Preseason Polls and return All-LSC honorees Jahcoree Ealy, Greg Johnson, Blazej Czerniewicz, and Jose Murillo. 
 
Ealy is building on last season's All-LSC Second Team year, improving his scoring average from 12.7 points to 19.8 points per game after back-to-back 29 and 28-point efforts. The 6-foot-7 wing hit 21-for-34 (61.8 percent) over the previous two games and is shooting 53.7 percent through four games this season. 
 
Forward Mario Whitley, a junior transfer, missed the first two games of the season but reached double-digit scoring off the bench in ENMU's previous two games, scoring 22 and 16 on a combined 12-for-20 shooting. 
 
Lyron Bennett (4.8) and Greg Johnson (3.2) are second and 12th in the conference in assists per game for a team that ranks second in assists per game (16.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.43). 
 
St. Edward's had a 5-0 record against ENMU, including last year's 91-63 win, paced by Nielsen's 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists. 
 
vs. Western New Mexico (2-3)
 
After dropping its first three games of the season, Western New Mexico has won two in a row behind strong back-to-back performances from Cortaviaus Seales. The 6-foot-1 guard dropped 34 points on 21 shots with four assists and no turnovers in a 93-78 win over Adams State. 
 
He followed that up with 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting in an 80-79 win over N.M. Highlands, hitting all three 3-pointers, including the game-winner from 30 feet with 0.4 seconds remaining to clinch the program's first LSC Men's Basketball Player of the Week award. His 24.3 points per game leads the LSC on near 50-40-90 shooting splits. 
 
St. Edward's is 4-0 all-time against WNMU, including last year's 86-79 win, in which Nielsen led six Hilltoppers in double figures with 18 points and four assists. Gary had 16 on five shots, and Elkinton, Ramos, and BENNETT MOHN each scored 10.