SEATTLE - It was written in exactly four spots - and in some areas larger than others - on the whiteboard in the NM State men's basketball team's locker room prior to tip-off Saturday night.

19-10. That was the margin which Seattle U had out-rebounded the Aggies by down the stretch in their loss Friday night.

The message, of course, was to improve on the glass. Once the Aggies and Redhawks started Saturday night's clash, it was abundantly clear NM State received that message.

Clayton Henry wrapped up his 10-point, 10-rebound double-double with a crucial offensive rebound late, Jabari Rice poured in a game-high 19 points, Johnny McCants added 16 more and the Aggies got back to their roots in order to earn a 65-58 triumph over the Redhawks Saturday night.

NM State crushed the Redhawks on the glass, finishing the game with a 45-24 (+21) edge in rebounding in order to help it salvage a split in their latest WAC series.

FIRST HALF
• For as much offense that Friday night's game featured, the theme of Saturday's showdown was defense. Neither team got off to a fast start with just 10 total points appearing on the board through the first 6:30.
• Seattle U pushed ahead again early when Riley Grigsby splashed a three-pointer with 11:41 left to make things 10-8. That set off a short sequence of the teams going basket-for-basket before the Aggies took control. 
• Just after the midway point of the half, the Aggies used the offense of Clayton Henry to take the lead for good. Down 14-11 after a pair of free throw makes by the Redhawks' Kobe Williamson, NM State scored the next seven points. That run started with a wing triple courtesy of Henry and a long two at the 8:07 mark from the senior put the visitors on top 16-14.
• The first substantial lead the Aggies were able to generate came over the course of the final 2:51 of the frame. NM State took off on an 11-3 run through that span in order to turn a one-point edge into a nine-point advantage at the break.
• NM State netted the final seven points of the half with Clayton Henry hitting a layup off of an inbounds play, Gerald Doakes splashing a three-pointer from the far wing and Johnny McCants going up and over the Redhawks' interior defenders at the horn to finish at the rim.
• Defense - the one ingredient missing from the Aggies' game plan Friday night - was one of the visitors' biggest strengths in the opening 20 minutes. NM State held Seattle U to 23 points on shooting splits of .292/.267/.833.
• Rebounding played a substantial part in the Aggies' first-half successes, too, as the visitors held a 23-10 (+13) edge on the glass.

SECOND HALF
• Coming on especially strong through the final 20 minute, Rice helped the Aggie in their bid to turn a once close game into a runway.
• Through the Aggies' 13-8 surge during the first 6:16 of the frame, Rice drilled a trio of three-pointers and added a free throw in order to push the visitors' lead to 45-31. NM State's lead remained at 14 points with 13:06 to go when Evan Gilyard II scored on a hard-driving run to the tin, but Seattle U was anything but finished.
• Regrouping behind their big three of Riley Grigsby, Aaron Nettles and Darrion Trammell, the Redhawks went on an 11-0 run over the next 4:55 to pull within three points, 47-44.
• Grigsby and Trammell each contributed five points during that run to pull the home team back within striking distance. Rice finally ended the run by draining a pair of free throw tries with 7:29 left to push the visitors' lead to 49-44.
• McCants connected on a three-pointer with 6:19 remaining that made matters 53-44 Aggies. That long ball was NM State's first field goal make in nearly seven minutes but the Redhawks kept coming.
• A 1-for-2 showing at the line from Trammell capped an 8-2 Redhawk run and shrank NM State's lead to 55-52 with 3:27 to go. On the ensuing NM State possession, sophomore guard Kalen Williams swished a wide-open three pointer right next to the Aggies' bench to make it a two-possession game once again.
• With 1:13 left, Henry stepped up and made a big-time three-pointer of his own which increased NM State's edge to 61-53. Henry essentially iced the game with 27 seconds to go after grabbing an offensive rebound off of a missed free throw try by Gilyard II. Rice connected on a layup on that NM State possession to account for the final margin.

KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Henry's well-timed double-double was his first in an Aggie uniform. He became the third NM State player this season to go for one, joining McCants and Donnie Tillman as the Aggies who have done so in 2020-21.
• Gilyard II facilitated much of the offense, going for seven points and a game-high six assists. Though he didn't score a point, Will McNair loomed large down in the paint for the Aggies
and helped them control the glass by grabbing eight boards.
• Most of McCants' damage came from the free throw line where he went 8-of-10.
• Trammell got his for Seattle U, finishing with 16 points, but he went just 4-of-16 from the field. Grigsby turned in a team-high 17 points for the Redhawks who saw their two-game winning streak snapped.
• NM State held Seattle U to shooting splits of .340/.276/.762 for the game.

COMING UP NEXT
• In a return to their "home" court, NM State heads back to Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, for its next two WAC contests. Beginning with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff Friday night, the Aggies will take on Utah Valley twice in the span of two days.

++NM State++