Men's Basketball | Wednesday 01/02/2019

NM State Notes (@NMStateMBB) | CBU Notes (@CBUmbb) | WAC Digital Network | Live Stats 

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's basketball team begins its Western Athletic Conference title defense this Thursday, Jan.3, when the team travels to Riverside, Calif., for an 8 p.m. bout with league newcomer California Baptist.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Aggie fans can catch the game Thursday's on the WAC Digital Network with Brandon Liebhaber on the call. Fans can also catch the game on the WAC Digital Network via over-the-top apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV or Roku Devices.
 
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 Thursday's conference-opening 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

 
LOOKING AT THE LANCERS
California Baptist, the newest member of the Western Athletic Conference, is entering its first of a four year probationary period as it transitions into the Division I ranks. So far, the Lancers have an 8-5 record on the season.
 
CBU's first Division I victory came against Oral Roberts as part of the Summit League/WAC Challenge along with wins over UC Riverside, Mississippi Valley State, Southeastern Louisiana and Southern.
 
As a team, the Lancers are shooting 46.3-percent from the field while holding opponents to just a .316 clip from 3-point range. CBU has also managed to outrebound its opponents by a margin of 5.9 boards per game while averaging 5.2 steals.
 
Milan Acquaah paces a trio of CBU players averaging in double-figures with 22.2 points while also averaging 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals. Jordan Heading is the team's second-leading scorer, checking in at 13.1 points per game while also averaging 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Last but not least is De'Jon Davis, who is averaging 11.5 points with a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game.
 
Of the 12 players that have seen the court for CBU, nine are shooting a .400 clip or better from the floor while seven are shooting above .300 from 3-point range.
 
AGGIES IN WAC OPENERS
Heading into this week's Western Athletic Conference opener, NM State is 12-1 all-time in its opening game of conference play and 9-1 when that opening-game occurs on the road since joining the league in 2005-06.
 

Year	Conference	Coach	Home	Away	First 2
2005-06	WAC	Reggie Theus		1-0	1-1
2006-07	WAC	Reggie Theus	1-0		2-0
2007-08	WAC	Marvin Menzies		1-0	2-0
2008-09	WAC	Marvin Menzies		1-0	2-0
2009-10	WAC	Marvin Menzies	1-0		1-1
2010-11	WAC	Marvin Menzies		1-0	1-1
2011-12	WAC	Marvin Menzies		1-0	2-0
2012-13	WAC	Marvin Menzies		0-2	0-2
2013-14	WAC	Marvin Menzies		1-0	2-0
2014-15	WAC	Marvin Menzies	1-0		2-0
2015-16	WAC	Marvin Menzies		1-0	1-1
2016-17	WAC	Paul Weir		1-0	2-0
2018-19	WAC	Chris Jans		1-0	2-0
TOTAL			3-0	9-1	20-6

 
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
Beginning at noon on Thursday, Jan. 10, Aggie fans will have an opportunity to bid and win a game-worn Aggie retro jersey with bidding set to end on Friday, Feb. 1, at noon. Jersey numbers will be selected in rank order beginning with the highest bidder and descending to the 15th-highest bidder.

EIGHT DAYS | Your chance to own an official game-worn Aggie jersey is coming on Thursday, Jan. 10
Stay tuned for details and bidding information. #AggieUp | #AggieAuction pic.twitter.com/FPQLjYGrSC

— NM State MBB (@NMStateMBB) January 2, 2019

 
Information on where and how to bid will be available when bidding opens up on Thursday, Jan. 10, on social media platforms or on NMStateSports.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico State ended the 2018 calendar year with a bang, cruising past Colorado State 88-68 at Moby Arena for NM State's first-ever win in Ft. Collins in five tries. The Aggies were led by C.J. Bobbitt, who had a career-high 22 points thanks to a hot-shooting hand, knocking down 8-of-12 shots – four of which came from downtown.
 
In addition to Bobbitt in double figures, Terrell Brown posted 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four of those coming from beyond the arc while Ivan Aurrecoechea notched his second double-double in the Crimson & White with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The win technically saw NM State finish the non-conference season 11-3 overall and 3-0 against Mountain West for the second-straight year. NM State will play host to Texas A&M – International on Tuesday, Feb. 19, for its final non-conference game of the season.
 
UP NEXT
NM State will make its return to the Pan American Center after a 22 day hiatus on Thursday, Jan. 10, when it entertains Grand Canyon for a 7 p.m. (MT) tip-off for its WAC home-opener. CSU Bakersfield will follow two days later at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
After its return home for GCU and CSU Bakersfield, New Mexico State will hit the road once again. The Aggies will first head to the Pacific Northwest to battle Seattle U on Thursday, Jan. 17, before battling Utah Valley on Saturday, Jan. 19. NM State's only two losses in league play last season came against the Redhawks and Wolverines last season on the same road swing.