After a three-game road trip, New Mexico State men’s basketball returned to the Pan American Center to face the Sam Houston State Bearkats and saw their six-game winning streak at home end with a 79-58 loss. The Bearkats had four players score in double digits including 25 points from Lamar Wilkerson, while the Aggies were held to shooting just 38%. The Aggies now sit in sixth place in the Conference USA standings with only four games left in the regular season.
Both sides quickly got off to a hot offensive start with forward Kaosi Ezeagu recording a monumental two-handed slam dunk for the Aggies. After guard Christian Cook nailed a shot to tie the game at five apiece, the Bearkats responded knocking down their first four three-point field goals and acquiring a lead they would retain for the rest of the game. The Bearkats ended the half making 10 of their 15 attempts. Wilkerson guided the Bearkats splashing seven of those attempts while scoring 20 of his 25 points in the first half.
The Aggies faced a 25-point deficit and struggled to contain the Bearkats on both sides of the ball. The Bearkats dominated the Aggies, holding them to 31% shooting from the field and 25% from downtown in the first half. The Bearkats had their way making 51% of their shot attempts and entered the half leading 48-23.
Wilkerson struggled to repeat his strong first half performance in the second, scoring only five points while getting into foul trouble early. Despite struggling to find his shot, his teammates picked up the slack and made life difficult for the Aggies. Davon Barnes’ 12 points and shooting 80% prevented the Aggies from making a comeback.
Throughout the game, the Aggies were fouled multiple times and sent to the line. The Aggies struggled to knock down free throws, making only 14 of their 24 free throw attempts, leaving 10 points off the board.
Despite the Bearkats’ huge lead with the second half winding down, Ezeagu put in the effort and dropped 15 points, making six of his eight shot attempts. Cook followed with 14 points and shooting 60% to be the only other Aggie in double figures.
The Bearkats strong performance handed the Aggies their second home loss of the season, snapping a six-game winning streak at the Pan American Center. The Aggies will host LA Tech on Saturday before heading to Lynchburg Virginia to take on the Liberty Flames on Thursday Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. The game against Liberty will be streamed on the CBS Sports Network.
