LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's basketball team will wrap up its two-for-one series against Colorado State this Sunday, Dec., 30, when the Aggies take on the Rams in the final game of 2018 for both squads.
 
Jenny Cavnar (@jennycavnar) will have the call alongside Sed Bonner (@sedbonner13) and Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) serving as the sideline reporter inside Moby Arena when the Aggies and Rams tip-off at 2 p.m. (MT) on AT&T Sports Network (DirecTV: 674).
 
To find what channel AT&T Sports is in your area, click here. A live-steam of the game with a paid cable subscription can also be found by clicking here.
 
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State men's basketball team all season long on Twitter and Instagram by following @NMStateMBB and on Facebook at FB.com/NMStateMBB.
 
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to Sunday's contest match-up 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 or via TuneIn.
 
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
 
HOME OF THE RAMS
Heading into this Sunday's contest against Colorado State, the Aggies trail the all-time series 5-2 and 0-4 when playing in Ft. Collins. However, of those four losses, NM State has lost by a combined total of five points. The silver lining for the Aggies is that NM State won its last meeting against the Rams on Lou Henson Court, 89-76.
 
CSU is currently 5-7 on the year under first-year head coach Niko Medved. Medved is a familiar with Ft. Collins having served as an assistant under former head coaches Tim Miles (2007-12) and Larry Eustachy (2012-13).
 
As a team, the Rams are averaging 75.8 points while allowing opponents to score just a smidge more at 76.3 points per game. Colorado State is riding a two-game losing skid heading into Sunday's game having lost to South Dakota (68-63) at home and Long Beach State (64-61) on the road. Its last win came on Dec. 8 against Sam Houston State at home.
 
J.D. Paige paces a group of five players averaging in double-figures with 15.6 points. The 6-3 guard is also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Rams to go along with his .404 shooting clip from beyond the arc.
 
Nico Carvacho is averaging a double-double with 14.3 points and 12.7 rebounds for CSU while owning a team-best .569 shooting clip. Nationally, he's ranked second in rebound per game (12.6), second in offensive rebounds per game (4.17), fourth in defensive rebounds per game (8.42), fifth in double-doubles (8) and fifth in total rebounds (151).
 
Anthony Masington-Bonner is third on the team in the scoring column, averaging 13.0 points and a team-high 26 3-pointers made. Rounding things out are Kendle Moore and Kris Martin – who are averaging 10.3 points. Martin has a slightly higher rebounding average, checking in at 4.1 rebounds per game to Moore's 2.4 rebounds per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Poor shooting at Orleans Arena against Drake in the first of two game last week saw NM State's comeback fall just short in its 66-63 loss. A tough night from beyond the arc also didn't help the Aggies, who were 6-of-33 from deep (.182). Terrell Brown did his best to help the Aggie surge in the waning moments of the game, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the second-half on 5-of-8 shooting – three of which came from 3-point range.
 
The final game of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic didn't come without a scare for New Mexico State as it saw a once 16 point lead dwindle and trail against Washington State before late heroics from the hot-shooting JoJo Zamora lifted NM State to a 75-72 victory.
 
Zamora, who scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting from deep, was held in "check" during the second-half before drilling the game-winning shot from the corner with 1.9 seconds remaining. AJ Harris was integral in NM State regaining the lead and keeping pace with the Cougars in the second-half, scoring 11 of his 15 points in that frame.
 
ZAMORA EARNS ACCOLADE
After drilling the game-winning shot to give NM State the 75-72 win over Washing State for the second time this season, JoJo Zamora was named to the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic All-Tournament team. The senior guard averaged 17 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the two games in Las Vegas.

WATCH | Here's a look back at that 3 from Zamora for the 75-72 lead!!

Timeout WSU after the Aggie timeout. Neither team with a TO left.#AggieUp pic.twitter.com/kDdBbPD6JB

— NM State MBB (@NMStateMBB) December 24, 2018

 
IN THE NATION
Through games on Dec. 27, NM State is ranked 14th in the country in rebounding margin (8.4) while its offensive rebounds per game (13.31) is just outside the top-25, checking in at No. 27.
 
UP NEXT
Having closed out the "non-conference" season per say, Texas A&M – International (Feb. 19) still remaining, the Aggies will gear up for the second portion of the season with the start of Western Athletic Conference play. NM State opens up conference action with WAC newcomer California Baptist on Thursday, Jan. 3, in Riverside, Calif., for an 8 p.m. (MT) tip-off on the WAC Digital Network.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
NM State will return home after its opening game of conference play to kick-off WAC play at home against Grand Canyon (Jan. 10) and CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 12) before hitting the road once again for a pair of games at Seattle U (Jan. 17) and Utah Valley (Jan. 19).