NM State Staves Off Islander Comeback to Remain Undefeated

Robert Carpenter recorded his first career double-double in the win (10 points, 10 rebounds).

Source: NMSU Athletics
Photo By Emilio Garcia for NMSU: Courtesy

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – After taking down former WAC foe Utah Tech 75-63 in St. George, the Aggies return to the Pan American Center to host Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Thursday, Nov. 14th. Five Aggies finished with 10+ points, while fending off and Islander comeback attempt, notching an 83-82 win. This is the final NM State home game until Dec. 4th, when Abilene Christian makes their way to Las Cruces.

NM State immediately came out with intent to make things difficult for the visiting Islanders as a layup from Carl Chernfant was immediately followed by a pair of wide open wing threes from the combination of Robert Carpenter and Christian Cook – giving the Aggies an 8-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

Finally, Texas A&M Corpus Christi found the scoreboard as Jordan Roberts connected on a trio of free throws after he was fouled on a three-point attempt. This would be the way the Islanders would eventually score their first seven points.

While the Islanders struggled to make shots, NM State began the game making four of its first five shot attempts to build a 14-7 advantage with 14:42 remaining in the period.

The Islanders later produced an 8-2 run to work their way back into the game as they reduced the lead to just one point across the following four minutes of action. Dionte Bostick would eventually put a halt to the Islander burst as he finished a contested reverse layup with his left hand. This would be the start of an 11-4 scoring run for the Crimson and White which was capped off by a three-pointer from sophomore guard Carl Cherenfant – increasing the Aggies’ lead back to eight points with just over seven minutes to play.

Later, Jaden Harris would drain a wide open three from the wing to help the Aggies finish off a 9-2 run while building an 11-point lead. The run would eventually stretch out to a 13-4 run as Zawdie Jackson hit a three and Dionte Bostick scored on two of the Aggies next three possessions.

Following a pair of Islander free throws, NM State went on a 7-0 run as the half neared a close. This included five free throws from Edward Nnamoko who dominated the paint during the final minutes of action. Even with a three-pointer at the buzzer from the Islanders, NM State carrid a 16-point lead into the locker room at half time.

NM State did a good job of taking care of the ball in the first half as Head Coach Jason Hooten‘s team committed just two turnovers despite facing a team which forced New Mexico into 22 turnovers its last time out. During the opening half, the Aggies shot 45% (16-33) from the floor while limiting the Islanders to just 27% (8-30) from the field. NM State also maintained a lead on the boards as they pulled down 22 rebounds to the Islanders’ 13.

Out of the half time break, NM State picked up where it left off as Christian Cook hit a three from the short corner in front of the Aggies’ bench on the second possession of the half. Later, Cherenfant would out-race the Islander defense for a transition layup that put the Aggies ahead by 21 points and forced a timeout from the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Bench.

The visiting side would begin to show some resistance in the second half as it generated a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 14 with just over 13 minutes to play. This came amid a stretch of seven minutes and 58 seconds in which the Aggies failed to convert a field goal. This would eventually open the door for the Islanders to trim the lead to as little as six points with 7:26 remaining on the clock.

Christian Cook eventually brought the crowd back to its feet as he hit a stepback three with the shot clock winding down – building the lead back to nine points.

The Islanders would continue to hang around and NM State’s lead would be just six with 1:38 left to play in the game. With the lead down to three with 19 seconds remaining, Peter Filipovity found Dionte Bostick who leaked out beyond the defense for what would be the game-sealing dunk.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi did come up with an and-one with seven seconds left on the clock, however, the lead which was as large as 21 with 15:56 left on the clock proved to be insurmountable as the Aggies closed out the win on their home floor.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

· For the first time since last season against 1-25 rivals New Mexico, the Aggies had five scorers go into double digits on the night. Bostick (13), Cook (12), Jackson (11), Chrenfant (11), Carpenter (10).

· Robert Carpenter recorded his first double-double of the season, ending the night with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The 10 boards also represents a career high for the Detroit, Mich., native.

· Emmanuel Tshimanga and Robert Carpenter tallied double-digit rebounds against the Islanders, marking the first time since Femi Odukale (12) and Kasi Ezeagu (10) snatched double-digit boards against FIU on Mar. 9th, 2024.

· The Aggies made 26 free-throws on the night, at a 72% clip – the most made free throws for the Crimson & White since Nov. 30th, 2021 against rival New Mexico.

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).

Article posted by:

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.