Aggies Soar Over Eagles in Thursday Night Win

Five Aggies score double digits in comfortable 87-50 victory.

Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Returning to the Pan American Center following a Monday night showdown with Southern Utah, NM State (6-6, 0-0 CUSA) played host to Northern New Mexico (4-16, 0-0 CAC), for the second home matchup in a five-game homestand. Taking care of the visiting Eagles 87-50 with a balanced scoring punch, the Aggies tallied back-to-back wins for the first time since opening the season 4-0.

NM State leading scorer Christian Cook opened the game on fire Monday night, putting in a quick eight points in the first 90 seconds of the contest, sparking a 13-0 home lead after a pair of 3-pointers. To finally break the scoring drought for Northern New Mexico, Malek Malual converted on a crafty layup around the rim, making the score 13-2 with 17:32 left in the half.

After Northern New Mexico cracked the scoreboard, the Eagles found a groove offensively, cutting the Aggie lead below double-digits for the first time since the 18:30 mark. This would be short-lived, as NM State ratcheted up the intensity, closing the first half with a blistering 21-4 run. During the scoring streak, freshman Gabe Pickens picked up a steal and layup, while fellow guard Dionte Bostick snatched a steal and put in an emphatic two-handed jam on the ensuing possession to give life to the Panamaniacs on a brisk Thursday night.

At the break, the Crimson & White had already led the contest for 19 minutes and 41 seconds – tied at 0-0 for the opening 19 ticks of game action. In half one, 11 different Aggies saw game time, with eight putting in points.

Much like the first half, the Aggies recorded a strong start as the Kaposvar, Hungary, native Peter Filipovity converted on a smooth up-and-under move down low to give him his 10th point on the night. The bucket kick started another imposing run from NM State, with six different Aggies scoring during a 21-9 spurt over the opening eight minutes of the second stanza.

During the closing stretch of Thursday’s contest, Aggie bench boss Jason Hooten subbed in graduate foward Christopher Biekeu – his first game since suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 – and junior guard Azavier Johnson, making his own NM State debut. As the final buzzer sounded, the Aggies came away with an 87-50 victory from the Pan American Center. With back-to-back wins this weekend, the Aggies recorded their first winning streak since a 4-0 start to the 2024-25 campaign. After a Christmas break filled with love and joy, the Aggies take their talents back to Las Cruces for a date with University of the Southwest on Dec. 28 – the last non-conference game for NM State before the start of conference play.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

Graduate forward Peter Filipovity led the Aggies on the boards, totalling 10 rebounds to pace the Aggies while adding 12 points for his third double-double of the season.
Five Aggies posted 10+ points in the win over Northern New Mexico, including Christian Cook, Peter Filipovity, Dionte Bostickand Zawdie Jackson. This is the third game of the season accomplishing this feat.
NM State recorded 16 steals on the night, led by a game-high of three by Aggie guards Bostick and Jackson. This becomes the most in a single-game this season, eclipsing 15 swipes against New Mexico Highlands in the season opener.
Outscoring the Eagles by 37 points, the Aggies secured their first win of 35 or more points since defeating University of the Southwest 84-49 on Nov. 28, 2023.
Northern New Mexico struggled beyond the arc in the first half, failing to record a 3-pointer on four attempts. The Eagles finished the night 4-for-12 from three-point range, the fewest triples allowed by the Aggies this season.
Emmanuel Tshimanga posted his second game with 10 or more rebounds this season. Along with his brother Nate, the brothers have tallied double-digit rebounds in five of the Aggies’ 12 games this season.

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).

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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.