NM State holds UTEP to 36% from the field; five Aggies finish in double-figures.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy
EL PASO, Texas — On a night showcasing a clash between the last two undefeated teams in Conference USA, NM State made a resounding statement that left the sold-out crowd at the Don Haskins Center — and perhaps the entire league — speechless. In front of a crowd of 12,000, the Aggies dominated the Miners from start to finish to leave the Sun City with a 28-point victory, winning 85-67.
The win marks NM State’s largest road victory over its heated rival since a 1937 meeting and serves as the largest win over the Miners as the road or home team since 1961. In the contest, the Aggies (10-6, 3-0 CUSA) received double-digit scoring efforts from five Aggies, including guard Zawdie Jackson who finished the game with a game-high 18 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting. Meanwhile, Robert Carpenter again proved to be a key piece of the Aggie offense as he posted 17 points off of the bench. Peter Filipovity finished one rebound shy of a double-double (15 points, 9 rebounds) while Dionte Bostick and Christian Cook each submitted 12 points from their starting roles.
UTEP (12-4, 2-1 CUSA) dropped its first home loss of the season as David Terrell Jr. paced the Miners in scoring by finishing with 17 points.
Though UTEP took the opening tip, the Aggies started the game fast, using a Dionte Bostick jumper to score the first points of the contest and jump-start a 6-0 run. Meanwhile, the Aggies kept the Miners off the scoreboard until the 17:15 mark. A drought by the Aggies left the Crimson & White trailing 8-6 at the 15-minute mark, though Robert Carpenter tallied back-to-back baskets to help the Aggies reclaim a 10-8 lead.
Carpenter’s efforts would also serve as the beginning of a commanding 12-5 run that gave the Aggies a five-point advantage with 11:32 remaining. One minute later, a two-handed dunk from Nate Tshimanga lifted the Aggies to a 20-14 lead.
Following a pair of UTEP free throws, NM State put together a scoring stretch that would prove to be a major turning point in the game. Across a four-minute and 22-second span, the Aggies would generate 12 unanswered points to take hold of a 16-point lead – its largest lead of the first 20 minutes. During this same period in the game, the Miners were 0-6 from the floor with two turnovers.
UTEP would attempt to fight its way back before the break but timely baskets from Robert Carpenter and Dionte Bostick would help the Aggies enter the tunnel with a 13-point lead.
In the first half, the Aggies shot 45% from the floor and only made two threes, however, they absolutely dominated the rebound battle – pulling in 23 boards to the Miners’ 11. This tenacity on the glass included 11 offensive rebounds which produced 10 second-chance points. Additionally, the Aggies paced UTEP in bench points (13-3), points in the paint (20-10) and fastbreak points (7-0).
After a back-and-forth first five minutes of the second half, the Aggies once again produced an extended scoring burst as eight points from Carpenter fueled a 17-3 NM State run that gave the Aggies a 26-point advantage. This included two slam dunks for the grad student from Detroit and was bookended by a pair of buckets from Peter Filipovity.
UTEP finally showed some life as they went on a 7-2 run, but a hustle play from Jaden Harris led to a wide-open 3-pointer for sharpshooter Christian Cook who pushed the Aggie lead back to 24 points with just under eight minutes remaining on the clock.
Later, NM State’s Zawdie Jackson would score seven points during a 9-0 Aggie run to help NM State generate its largest lead of the game at 30 points with 2:45 left in the game. One more Aggie would get in on the scoring action as Edward Nnamoko tallied his first points of the game with 1:59 remaining to help NM State emerge with a 28-point win in El Paso.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- NM State’s victory over UTEP marks its largest win in El Paso since 1937 where they defeated the Miners 59-24. It also will be marked as the third biggest home loss in UTEP history.
- Taking control early, NM State led for an impressive 37 minutes of the contest and never looked back. In that span, the Aggies dominated the game with a commanding presence in the paint, outscoring the Miners 46-22 and nearly doubling their rebound total, 40-21
- The Crimson & White showcased a balanced offensive attack with five players scoring in double figures – Zawdie Jackson (18), Robert Carpenter (17), Peter Filipovity (15), Christian Cook(12), and Dionte Bostick (12). This marks the first time the Aggies have achieved this feat since their 87-50 victory over Northern New Mexico on Dec. 19.
- Senior guard Zawdie Jackson led the Aggies in scoring with an impressive 18 points, going a flawless 7-7 from the field. He also contributed five assists and three rebounds to round out his performance. This marks the first time Jackson has led the team in scoring since the road matchup against Utah Tech, where he posted a season-high 24 points.
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