Starting off the official 2025-2026 season under the bright lights of the Pan American Center, the New Mexico State Aggies went head-to-head with the Adams State University Grizzlies on Nov. 4.
Going off the momentum of last year’s 17-15 record and fifth-place Conference USA finish, 69.7 points-per-game average, this year’s Aggie roster has big shoes to fill – especially with the previous team’s points and rebound leader, Peter Filipovity, now graduated. As the first few points went to the Grizzlies’ tally, the Aggies’ defense proved to be promising as ASU faced a significantly strained effort to keep hold of the ball.
“There’s a few things here and there, our ball screen defense [was] really bad tonight. It’s got to get better. Some of those things are hard because that takes a lot of communication between two, three, four, or five different guys that are playing different spots all the time, and we’ve just got to continue to improve in those areas and get better,” Head Coach Jason Hooten said post-game.
With the stands booming with Aggie pride, NMSU got ahead fast, and ceaselessly dominated the scoreboard despite harboring eight fouls thus far.
By the midway point of the first half, guard Jamel Jones had solidified a place as the top scorer – bearing a total of eight points, four rebounds, and a clean foul statistic as of yet – and by halftime, was up to holding the points scored team lead (12) and rebound lead (4).
With the final minutes steadily counting down, the Grizzlies fought to take over the lead, but as the Aggies only pulled further ahead, hopes for ASU to catch up dimmed.
Going into halftime with a 43-36 lead, the Aggies boasted an advantage over the Grizzlies with a field goal percentage of 43%, compared to 31%, a 7-12 turnover stat, but fell short comparing 11-10 on fouls.
“If it was easy, everybody be doing it. So, we got a lot of work to do. We respect that. We know every day coming in, it’s a grind,” Hooten said.
Continuing their hot streak, NMSU got back on the board first – highlighted by a smooth 3-pointer by Jemel Jones. As emotions got heated on the court, Aggie pride in the crowd never faltered, especially the student section standing strong behind the net.
Cleaning up their numbers, the Aggies now trailed the Grizzlies with only three fouls compared to eight nearing the halfway point of the play period – still never giving up their lead.
A string of fouls and questionable referee calls came not long after, dampening the Aggies’ upstanding statistics and giving rise to boos and disapproving calls from the crowd. After forward Jae’Coby Osborne hit the ground hard, tension began to rise as the Grizzlies brought out their claws to push back against the Aggies.
With the final minutes once again shrinking on the scoreboard, NMSU still steadily holding their lead, Jemel Jones continued to dominate the team’s scoring lead at 23 by the end of the game, trailed closely by center Cyr Malonga at 16 points.
Closing in the score with less than 10 points for a riveting end-of-game frenzy, both teams gave a final push toward victory, but the Grizzlies were no match for the Aggies as the final score concluded at 83-72.
“I think I learned a lot about our team tonight. [We] could have panicked there, and when it got down to eight or nine and 10 [points], we could have panicked a little bit. And I thought our guys were real steady, and they finished,” Hooten said.
NMSU Basketball will return at home against New Mexico Highlands University on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
![Group leaders [left to right] Jacarthie Brazil, Kira Baum, Carter-Elise Keating, and Abby Watkins pose for a picture after a successful interview. April 21, 2026.](https://nmsuroundup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/01_AnnaB_Health-Club_LowRes.jpg)
