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NM State begins the new year 1-0 in league play behind 25 points from Christian Cook.
By Levi Gwaltney
(with republished recap)
Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo: Courtesy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Returning to action for the first time in 2025, NM State (8-6, 1-0 CUSA) played host to Sam Houston (7-7, 0-1 CUSA) in both teams’ Conference USA opener. Behind spectacular performances from Christian Cook (25 points), and Peter Filipovity (20 points, seven rebounds), the Aggies outlasted the Bearkats in a 75-71 decision.
Securing the opening tip, the Bearkats got on the board first with five points in a flurry. NM State’s leading scorer Christian Cook(14.9 points per game) buried the first Aggie bucket of 2025 with a triple from the right-corner. Graduate forward Peter Filipovitytallied the second basket and second 3-pointer of the contest, though the Aggies would trail 10-6 at the under-12 media timeout.
Entering the contest off the bench, Robert Carpenter poured in five quick points to keep the Crimson & White within striking distance (17-13). In the middle of a 10-0 Aggie run spearheaded by senior guards Christian Cook and Dionte Bostick, the Aggies took their first lead of the contest, growing their edge to five with six minutes in the opening half (25-20).
Back-to-back triples by Cook and Jaden Harris gave the Aggies their first double-digit lead of the contest, 34-24 with three and a half minutes left in the opening stanza. The home side would take a 38-30 advantage into the locker room behind a game-high 12 points from Cook. NM State gained separation in both fast-break points (6-0) and bench points (12-4) in the opening half; while holding the Bearkats to 2-of-9 from behind the arc along with five forced turnovers.
Less than 90 seconds into the second frame, back-to-back Sam Houston scores shrunk the NM State lead to just three (38-35). A second half scoring outburst by Peter Filipovity kept the Aggies in front of the Bearkats throughout much of the second half; though four straight points by Sam Houston guard Marcus Boykin reclaimed the Bearkats’ lead at the 9:37 mark – their first lead since the 8:29 mark in the opening stanza (20-19).
Down the stretch of an intense conference opener, the lead changed hands four times, never swelling beyond three points for the Bearkats or Aggies. The Crimson & White leaned on their backcourt in crunch time, with Cook and Zawdie Jackson scoring or assisting on 20 of the Aggies’ last 24 points; including a 9-for-10 performance at the charity stripe.
As the final buzzer sounded, the Aggies came away victorious in their first Conference USA bout of the season, 75-71. In less than 48 hours, NM State competes in their second game of conference action against LA Tech on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. MT.
A Big Deal Win
The Aggies took to the pergola last night to face more than a tough Bearkat team. Last year, Sam Houston won the regular season with a 13-3 conference record while stretching their streak against New Mexico State to 5 games straight since 1992. Add to this how NMSU Head Coach Jason Hooten was starting his second season of conference play leading the Aggies after trading away a successful program… at Sam Houston. These factors, alone, might elevate the importance of this season’s Conference USA opener; however, the Aggies can’t seem to settle for run-of-the-mill pressure to overcome. They have to turn the volume up just a little bit more to make each victory that much sweeter.
Coach Hooten cranked the volume up to “10” when his media team posted pictures of the New Year’s Day practice on Facebook. “New Year, Same Energy” the post read.
Earlier in the day, the announcement was made that Athletics Director, Mario Moccia, had been fired. The circumstances surrounding his being shown the door refocused a harsh spotlight on an Aggie Men’s Basketball team working hard to outpace the gaze of Sauron. Ghosts from the past are rarely a good addition to take to the court on gameday, especially when the contest comes with a heightened importance already written in the books.
By tip-off, the volume had reached “11”.
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Outstanding Performances in a Team Win
As we are wont to do, two players had particularly good performances which need to be highlighted. Christian Cook (25) and Peter Filipovity (20) each scored 20-plus points in the win. The duo became the first two Aggies to score 20 or more in a single game since Cook (27) and Robert Carpenter (20) at New Mexico on Dec. 7, 2024. Cook recorded his 11th double-digit scoring performance of the season, including his seventh straight. Filipovity recorded his fourth double-digit scoring performance in the past five games, dating back to his 10-point outing at Texas on Dec. 12. It was the Hungary native’s season-high point total, setting a new personal best in the Crimson & White.
The third highest scoring Aggie in the game was Dionte Bostick with 9 points. Add to that 3 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and a steal, and it is easy to see how the Aggies are playing like a team on the court. This team play is amazing given the recent announcement of Bostick surpassing 1,000 points in his college career… so far. In another environment, there might be the impulse to punctuate that milestone with a personal performance; however, members of Aggie Nation were given a glimpse of what we recognize as “our brand” of basketball. We are Aggies, and when it comes time for the barbecue, we don’t do hot dogs. Congratulations on some great team play, Dionte. Congratulations on surpassing 1,000 points!
Katie, Bar the Door
Following the 75-71 victory on Thursday night, the Aggies improved to 2-0 all-time in Conference USA openers. Last season, NM State hosted I-10 rival UTEP in a nationally televised contest that the Aggies won 63-53. Saturday, the Aggies host a Louisiana Tech team trying to rebound from 70-60 loss at the Don Haskins Center. The afternoon match up (2 pm at the Pan American Center) will be the telltale moment for this Aggies team.
With all of the off-the-court hoopla circling this group of athletes, it might be worth the effort to make it to the Pan Am to see for yourself if these are the Aggies we recognize. Watching them play the Bearkats, it certainly felt familiar to me. When Christian Cook made that highlight reel fade-away over 6′ 11″ Kalifa Sakho, I felt it. This Aggies team just might make a run this year. True, New Mexico State University left the barn open a few years back, but Katie bar the door… it looks like the Aggies are coming home.
