In an effort to continue their at-home win streak, the New Mexico State University Aggies posted 43 points in the second half to overcome the Western New Mexico University Mustangs. The 78-42 effort was led by junior guard Jaden Harris who contributed 24 points accompanied by double-digit performances from juniors Jaylin Jackson-Posey, Robert Carpenter and senior Jordan Rawls.
The starting guards for the night were, junior Christian Cook, junior Jaden Harris, junior Jaylin Jackson-Posey, with Robert Carpenter and grad student Kaosi Ezeagu at forward.
Both sides stood their ground for the first ten minutes until the Mustangs grabbed the 17-16 lead after a two-minute Aggie scoring drought. Before the following Aggie timeout, the Aggies held the lead for a solid five minutes after a four-and-a-half-minute stalemate prior.
Coming out of the timeout, the Aggies went on an 11-0 scoring run to retake the lead at 27-19 with Carpenter’s three pointer prompting the Mustangs to take their first timeout. The Aggies stayed hot with Cook hitting yet another three late into the half.
At the end of the first half, the Aggies finished with a 19-3 run over seven minutes to create a sizable lead of 35-22. Harris led the offense with 10 points followed by Jackson-Posey who posted six.
The Aggies late start to take the lead was fueled by their free throw percentage with an incredible 83% going 5-6 and shot similarly from the field and from the arc at 41% and 40% respectively.
After out-rebounding the Mustangs by seven, the Aggies posted 20 total, 18 of which were defensive. Harris also led the rebounds with five, followed by junior forward Clarence “Monzy” Jackson with four. For turnovers, the Aggies forced four on the Mustang’s to generate five points.
Entering the second half, the Aggies put forth a solid defense holding the Mustangs to 0-9 on field goals and put them into a three-minute scoring drought while posting 12-0 in the same timeframe, strengthening the lead to 51-29 with three three-pointers in a row.
The Aggies called a timeout with a 62-41 lead after both teams cranked up the offense from the field going 5-7 with the Mustangs going 4-4.
Late in the game, the Aggies remained dominant with another 14-0 run in just over six minutes and forcing yet another scoring drought for the Mustangs in that same interval. The Aggies put the Mustangs away with a decisive 78-43 victory.
Harris remained the leading scoring effort with 24 points while Jackson-Posey was right behind him once again with 12. Their shooting percentages improved as the game went on finishing with from the field 44%, 50% from the arc and 87% from the free throw line.
The Aggies finished with 39 rebounds led by Harris and Jackson with seven a piece, followed by Carpenter with six. The Aggies defense was stalwart, having forced 12 turnovers for 16 points which were a major factor in their victory.
Head coach Jason Hooten commented on the team’s standout performance in the victory and how important the next game will be for the team and the program.
“We got some great statistical nights from a lot of guys…I’m really proud of their effort,” Hooten said. “It’s a test for us because it’s our first division one home game…we need to take advantage of it every time.”
The Aggies will return home to host the University of Northern Colorado Bears once again on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Coverage will be streamed on ESPN+ and on Zia Country 99.5-FM.
