Aggies Fall to Longhorns

Cook led the Aggies with 22 points.

Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy

AUSTIN, TEXAS – After securing a much-needed overtime victory over their I-25 rival New Mexico, NM State hit the road for what would prove to be their toughest test of the season, taking on the Texas Longhorns. Despite carrying momentum from their streak-breaking win, the Aggies ultimately fell to the Longhorns, 91-67 on Austin.

The contest began with Texas striking first as Tramon Mark knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to give them a quick 3-0 lead. It took the Aggies until the 18:19 mark to get on the board, courtesy of a midrange jumper by Christian Cook to make the score 3-2.

From there, the Longhorns found their rhythm early, unleashing a 24-10 run while shooting an impressive 66.7% from the field. Mark led the charge with 10 points during the stretch, including three triples, helping Texas establish a 29-12 lead with 8:11 left in the first half.

The Aggies began to show signs of life late in the half, sparked by a hook shot from Nate Tshimanga to make it 31-14. Despite flashes of momentum, NM State couldn’t outpace the Longhorns, who closed the half on a 21-15 run to take a commanding 52-27 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, graduate forward Peter Filipovity led the charge for NM State, opening the scoring with a layup and adding a three-pointer from the left corner to make it 53-32 with 18:13 remaining. The Aggies showed resilience, trading baskets with Texas in the early minutes of the half, including contributions from Cook, Robert Carpenter, and Jaden Harris, to keep the Longhorn lead steady.

For much of the second half, the two teams played evenly, with NM State preventing Texas from pulling away further. However, the Aggies were unable to string together the necessary runs to cut into the deficit, ultimately falling to the Longhorns by a final score of 91-67.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

· Christian Cook led the Aggies with a team-high 22 points, shooting an efficient 9-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. This performance marked his second consecutive 20-point game, a first for him this season.

· The Aggies recorded their best free throw shooting performance of the season, converting 84% (11-of-13) of their attempts from the charity stripe.

· Typically known for limiting opponents’ shooting efficiency, NM State allowed a season-high 58% shooting from the field, their highest mark surrendered this year.

For complete coverage of NM State Men’s Basketball, visit NMStateSports.com – the official home of Aggie athletics – and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateMBB), Instagram (@NMStateMBB), and like us on Facebook (NMStateMBB).

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney

Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.