Aggies Outlast Lobos in Thrilling Battle of I-25

NM State secures rivalry win in lone matchup of the season.

Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Rivalries define college athletics. Scheduled for just one matchup with the rivals up north this season, NM State (4-5, 0-0 CUSA) rode 47 combined points by Christian Cook and Robert Carpenter to take an exciting Battle of I-25 win over New Mexico (7-3, 1-0 MW). Facing a sold-out crowd of 15,411 at The Pit, the Aggies overcame 17 turnovers and 20 fouls to claim their first victory in the series since Dec. 6, 2021.

FIRST HALF

Starting in just his third contest of the season, senior guard Dionte Bostick tallied the first points of the contest, giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead to begin the game. Trading baskets in the opening minutes, the Lobos took their first lead of the contest on a jump shot from Tru Washington, with the home squad taking a 8-4 lead at the first media timeout.

Making his second straight appearance off the bench for NM State, 6’7″ forward Robert Carpenter gave the Aggies a spark on the court, scoring five quick points. Despite the surge, the Lobos took their largest lead of the first half on Donovan Dent’s first points of the night, making it a 25-15 contest with 11:10 in the opening frame.

Trailing 33-19 and facing their largest deficit of the contest, senior guards Christian Cook and Zawdie Jackson led the Aggies through a 13-0 run, with fellow senior guard Dionte Bostick putting in the final basket of the run to cut the Lobo lead to just one point (33-32). During the stretch, Jackson became the first Aggie to earn a trip to the free throw line with 6:45 left in the half. UNM’s Nelly Junior Joseph finally broke the shooting slump for the Lobos, making it a 35-32 ball game with 5:32 in the opening stanza.

Continuing to give the Aggies a scoring punch off the bench, Carpenter’s second triple of the night tied the contest at 35, the first time the game was tied since the 17:16 mark (4-4). Following a triple by Zawdie Jackson, a third Carpenter 3-pointer of the half gave NM State their first lead since the opening two and a half minutes of action. The Aggies closed their scoring for the half with another triple by Carpenter and the third of the half by Christian Cook, making it a 47-38 contest heading into the break.

Connecting on just one of five three point attempts in the opening 12 minutes of action, NM State caught fire from deep down the stretch, connecting on eight of their next nine to finish the half 9-14 (60%) from downtown, and 18-30 from the field (60%). In opposing fashion, the Lobos began the contest 14-21 from the field (67%), before closing the half 1-14 (7%) from the field. UNM also struggled at the charity stripe, connecting on just four of 10 attempts, while the Aggies sank their only two attempts of the half.

SECOND HALF

Posting 11 points in the opening 20 minutes of action, Christian Cook got on the board within the first 16 seconds of the second half, pushing NM State to their largest lead to that point of the contest (49-38). The cold streak from the field continued to plague UNM in the second half, failing to score their first basket of the half until the 16:21 minute mark.

Launching and connecting on his fifth triple of the night, Carpenter pushed the Aggie lead to 14 before Lobo guard Dent scored six straight points, chipping into the NM State edge (54-46). In what became his go-to shot on the night, Dionte Bostick drove down the lane through a bevy of Lobos to kickstart a 7-0 scoring outburst – punctuated by a Peter Filipovity jumper to give the Crimson & White their largest lead of the night (61-46) with 10:39 remaining.

Renowned for the raucous environment at the Pit, the home crowd rejuvenated the Lobos down the stretch as UNM clawed their way back into the contest, shrinking the Aggie lead to seven with 8:59 remaining (63-56). Immediately out of the timeout, the Aggies silenced the crowd with Cook’s fifth triple of the night – tying a season high. With both teams feeling the tension in the air late, steady point guard Zawdie Jackson put in his third basket of the night to put a quartet of Aggies in double figures and keep the NM State lead at six (70-64).

With just 2 minutes remaining in the contest, starting point guard Zawdie Jackson fouled out, closing his night with 10 points and seven assists (tying his season high). A Lobo 3-pointer in the left corner tied the contest for the first time since the 4:58 mark in the first half (35-35). After securing a three point advantage with 14 seconds remaining, another triple from the left corner tied the game at 73, sending the contest into overtime – a first for the Aggies since a 79-73 home win over CUSA foe Liberty on Feb. 1, 2024.

OVERTIME

After surging late to force overtime, the Lobos scored the first points of the extra period on a pair of free throws. Showing resilience, back-to-back triples by Robert Carpenter and Christian Cook kickstarted a 10-0 NM State run, capped by consecutive driving layups by Dionte Bostick to make it 83-75 with 1:25 remaining. Despite desperation fouls in the waning moments, the Aggies walked out of the Pit victorious, securing a 89-83 victory.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

With nine 3-pointers in the opening half, the Aggies secured their most triples against a Division I opponent, finishing the contest with 14 made threes – tied for the most made triples on the season with a 14-34 performance from deep against New Mexico Highlands.
Christian Cook finished the night with 27 points, including six made 3-pointers – a Division I best scoring night for the senior guard and his third career game with six triples.
Scoring 20 points in 30 minutes off the bench, Robert Carpenter has scored in double-digits in each of the Aggies’ first nine contests – the only member of the Crimson & White to do so. This is Carpenter’s first 20 point performance of the season, and first since putting up 20 against California Baptist on Dec. 20, 2023.
First year Aggie guards Dionte Bostick and Zawdie Jackson rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Crimson & White, adding 10 points apiece. Jackson tied a season high with seven assists, while Bostick tied a career-best after grabbing eight rebounds.
Notching a 89-83 victory in Albuquerque, this is the largest win for the Aggies in the Duke City since a 62-53 win on Nov. 16, 2011.
Coming away with a victory against the Lobos despite 17 turnovers, this becomes the Aggies first win with over 17 turnovers since defeating Loyola Marymount 63-58 while coughing the ball up 26 times on Dec. 11, 2021.

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

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