LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's basketball team returns home for its final game of the 2017 calendar year this Tuesday when it plays host to Eastern New Mexico on Star Wars night at the Pan American Center.
 
PROMOTIONS
Tuesday's game is dubbed Star Wars night with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi set to release this Friday, Dec. 15. Fans are encouraged to dress up in their favorite outfit from a universe far-far away. There will also be some disturbance in the force with some members of the Empire in attendance as well as some from the Rebellion.
 

Be at the Pan Am Tuesday at 7 PM when @NMStateMBB hosts Eastern New Mexico. It's STAR WARS NIGHT ??????and Hat Giveaway #2 (First 1,000) #AggieUp pic.twitter.com/feTrGIu3FF

— NM State MBB (@NMStateMBB) December 10, 2017

In addition, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will get their hands on the second of four special edition Aggie snapback hats!
 
WHERE TO WATCH
For those that can't make it to Tuesday's home game against Eastern New Mexico can catch the Aggies and Greyhounds on the WAC Digital Network by going to www.wacsports.com/live.
 
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State men's basketball team all season on Twitter and Instagram by following @NMStateMBB and on Facebook at FB.com/NMStateMBB.
 
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to Tuesday's contest can catch the game by listening to NM State Athletics/US Bank Hall of Famer Jack Nixon on 99.5 Zia Country and affiliate stations on the Aggie Sports Network listed below.
 
Alamogordo      103.7 FM KNMZ
Albuquerque     1150 AM KNMM
Carlsbad           1240 AM KAMQ
El Paso             1380 AM KHEY
Gallup               1230 AM, 94.9 FM KYVA
Las Vegas        107.1 FM KMDS
 
GREYHOUNDS COME TO TOWN
Tuesday's contest between the Aggies and Greyhounds will be the 26th time these two in-state programs have faced off against one another. NM State has won nine-straight against Eastern New Mexico and own a 16-2 record against ENMU at home. Its last loss came in 1967 on the road, 46-43, while its last home loss to the Greyhounds came in 1951, 43-33.
 
ENMU is 3-7 overall on the year and 0-4 in Lone Star Conference play. The Greyhounds are also in the midst of a six-game road skid. Their last win came on Dec. 18 against Azusa Pacific. Eastern New Mexico is winless on the road, dropping all four contests so far by a margin of 614-440.
 
Lamarquis Thompson leads ENMU with 12.0 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting a team-best .603 clip. Zach Parker and Jamani Pierce are tied for second on the team with 9.9 points per game. Devin Pullum is not far behind, averaging 9.1 points for the Greyhounds.
 
Maurice Coleman leads the team in assists with 33 dimes while Thompson is second on the team with 23. Nick brown and Parker are tied for the team lead in steals with 10 apiece while Parker has a team-high 14 made 3-pointers. However, Thompson is shooting at much higher percentage from beyond the arch at 52.2-percent to Parker's 28.6-percent.
  HOW SWEEP IT IS
With the win on Saturday, head coach Chris Jans became the only first-year head coach in New Mexico State basketball history to sweep both New Mexico and UTEP. The win also gave NM State its first victory in Albuquerque since 2013. The last time NM State swept both the Lobos and Miners was during the 2002-03 season under legendary head coach Lou Henson. That was also the last time the Aggies claimed three-straight wins against UNM. The last NM State first-year head coach to sweep the Lobos was Weldon Drew (1979-80).
 
IN THE NATION
Through games on Dec. 10, NM State is ranked seventh in the country with an 11.1 rebounding margin while its 41.56 rebounds per game is good for 22nd nationally. Meanwhile Jemerrio Jones is ranked in the top-25 in several rebounding categories including…
 
Category                                          Value         NCAA Rank
Rebounds/game                                11.6                  6th
Offensive Rebounds/game                4.22                  6th
Total Rebounds                                  104                  12th
Double-Doubles                                   5                    16th
Defensive Rebounds/game               7.33                  25th
 
ALL FOR LOU
The start of NM State's eight-game 37-day road trip begins this Friday, Dec. 15, when it heads to the Windy City to take on Illinois at 6 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the United Center. Both teams will be honoring legendary head coach Lou Henson, who is the winningest coach at both New Mexico State and Illinois.
 
ISLAND BOUND
The Aggies are just nine days away from heading to the big island of Ohau, Hawaii, for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22-25). NM State's first opponent in the four-day three-game tournament will be Davidson on ESPNU at 9 p.m. (MT) on Friday, Dec. 22. The Wildcats are currently 4-3 on the year through games on Sunday, Dec. 10, and will play No. 16/16 Virginia this Saturday before heading to Honolulu.
 
The Aggies will either play USC or Hawaii in the second round depending on the result against Davidson. The final game in the tournament will be on Christmas with time and TV network to be determined.
 
VEGAS BABY!
Fans can officially book their rooms for the 2018 Western Athletic Conference Tournament (March 7-10) NOW at Orleans Arena by using the code A8WAC03. Rooms can be booked over the phone by calling 1-800-675-3267 or online at www.orleanscasino.com/groups.
 
In addition, tickets for the tournament are also available for purchase through the Pan American Center ticket office in person or over the phone at 575-646-1420. Tickets can also be purchased through the Orleans Arena Box Office online at www.orleansarena.com/events or on the phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Tickets ???are on sale now for the 2018 WAC Basketball Tournament! Meet us in #WACvegas March 7-10: https://t.co/r4QErotfNH

— WAC (@WACsports) December 11, 2017

LAST TIME OUT
Down nine with 10 minutes left to play, New Mexico State orchestrated a 20-8 run while holding Battle of I-25 rival New Mexico to just one field-goal during that same stretch for the 65-62 comeback win.
 
Zach Lofton led all players with 22 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals while AJ Harris added 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Jemerrio Jones and Johnny McCants had eight points and 10 rebounds apiece.
 
UP NEXT
The Aggies embark on their 37-day road swing after Tuesday's game that'll take them to Chicago, Honolulu, Irvine, back to Chicago, Phoenix and finally Bakersfield. First up for the Aggies will be Illinois on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the United Center on the Big Ten Network at 6 p.m. MT.