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NM State suffers its first loss since Dec. 12.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Road victories are hard to come by in Conference USA, and NM State (11-7, 4-1) faced a tough challenge looking to complete a road trip sweep with a win over Liberty (15-4, 3-3). Despite a valiant effort, the Aggies were unable to overcome a late surge by the Flames, falling 68-60 to suffer their first conference loss of the season.
The game started promisingly for NM State, as they won the opening tip and immediately capitalized with a layup in the paint by Emmanuel Tshimanga. The Aggies came out firing, building an 11-4 lead behind strong contributions from Tshimanga and graduate forward Peter Filipovity, who combined for eight points during the early scoring stretch.
However, Liberty quickly found its rhythm, answering with a 17-6 run to take their first lead of the game, 18-17, at the 7:53 mark. The Flames showcased their scoring depth during the stretch, with five different players contributing baskets. Liberty extended their advantage to 21-17 before the teams settled into a back-and-forth battle for the remainder of the half.
NM State closed the first period on a high note, highlighted by senior guard Christian Cook draining a contested step-back three-pointer in the final seconds to cut Liberty’s lead to 34-31 at the break. The Aggies carried that momentum into the second half, once again leaning on Tshimanga, who opened the scoring with another strong finish in the post. NM State strung together an 8-4 run to reclaim the lead early in the period.
The game remained a tight contest deep into the second half, with the teams trading baskets and the score never wavering by more than two points in either direction. With 11:09 remaining, the game was deadlocked at 41-41. A pair of free throws by Zawdie Jackson gave NM State a slim 47-46 lead with 7:09 left, but Liberty responded. Forward Owen Aquino’s and-one finish ignited a critical 7-1 run, giving the Flames a 56-47 cushion with just over four minutes remaining.
Despite their best efforts, the Aggies were unable to close the gap in the final minutes. Liberty maintained control and NM State would fall 68-60. The loss marked the Crimson & White’s first defeat since Dec. 12, when they fell on the road to Texas.
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NUMBERS OF NOTE
· Peter Filipovity finished the night with 12 points and a season-high of 12 rebounds to gain his fourth double-double of the season and first during conference play.
· The Aggies caused the Flames to struggle at what they do best, shooting from three-point range. On the night, the Aggies were able to hold Liberty to their lowest three-point percentage of the year at 21% and lowest number of made threes at only shooting 3-14 from beyond the arc.
· Despite being the leader in CUSA in bench points per game coming into the contest, the Aggies were held to only six bench points on the night, their lowest of the season.
· Forward Emmanuel Tshimanga finished with one of his best performances of the year, matching his season-high of eight points and grabbing seven rebounds, which is his third highest rebound total on the year.
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