Photo courtesy of NMSU Athletics.

In their first matchup against the Samford University Bulldogs since 2016, the New Mexico State Aggies took on the Bulldogs at the Pan American Center on Nov. 22. 

Getting on the board first, the Aggies broke out with hopes to win yet another game and advance their record to a perfect 4-0 for the first time since the 2011-2012 season, and were still feeling the pride of the last game’s win against the University of New Mexico rivalry. 

“We’ve worked hard to get to this point, and I think our team is just going to continue to improve,” Head Coach Jason Hooten said  

So far this season, NMSU has solidified their spot as one of the top defensive teams among college teams. The Aggies average 12 steals and force around 19 a game; a feat that has landed them 12th in the nation.  

Less than halfway in, the Aggies established their lead and grabbed a 6-3 rebound advantage against Samford, who holds a 3-5 3-pointer success statistic over New Mexico State at 2-4.  

With Bulldog guard Kam Martin sneaking by Aggie guard Jemel Jones, Samford grasped their first lead of the game at 15-14, inching withing a point of each other to hold the title of score leader. The Bulldogs weren’t letting go, and didn’t loose hold until a tie broken by Aggie forward Kyrese Mullen pushed NMSU ahead for the half’s midway point of 19-17. 

As the Aggies kicked into gear to extend their regained lead, with the help of 25 bench points and 24 points in the paint so far this game, five minutes remained in the half as NMSU led by nine points at 33-24. 

The final few minutes of the half dwindled down, with Julius Mims, a transfer from Idaho State, snatching his fourth rebound of the night and setting himself further on pace to achieve a double-double, which he completed  later on with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  

Finishing out the half with NMSU shooting their first free throws of the game with a little over a minute left, Anthony Wrzeszcz leveled out the score to a 10-point difference, and giving the Aggies a boost to finalize the half at 40-32. 

As the new half began with both Mims and Wrzeszcz sinking in sharp 3-pointers back-to-back, the Aggies quickly brought up their lead to be 17 points ahead.  

With the next midway point of the closing half still standing in the Aggies favor at 61-43, stress on the court escalated as the final 10 minutes loomed over of the Bulldogs as they fought to tip the scale on their tied win/loss record of 3-3.  

Although NMSU had successfully maintained their lead , they also achieved a total of seven fouls in just eight minutes, while Samford sits nearly clean at only two. However, the Aggies still hold the upper hand on field goals, achieving a 60% success compared to the Bulldog’s 40%. 

“I’m extremely happy with the fact that we had so many guys that produced tonight, that were maybe on the bench that came off,” Hooten said.  

Raking up the bench points to total now at 39 for New Mexico State, Aggie offense continued to shine. Their lead reached its peak at 21 points ahead of Samford, and wasn’t faltering despite the continued pressure.  

As the Bulldogs game their final push to close in the gap, NMSU took another win to boost their record to 4-0 and finishing off the score at 81-72. 

“We’re going to learn what its like to be on the road now, and how we prepare, how we grow and mature, and [get] ourselves ready,” Coach Hooten said.  

New Mexico State University Aggies men’s basketball will return for their first road game this season in Riviera Maya, Mexico, against the University of California, Irvine Anteaters on Nov. 25.