LAS CRUCES, N.M. – It wasn't always pretty, but the brand-new squad of Aggies led by Head Coach Greg Heiar was able to get their first-game jitters out in front of the Pan American faithful, taking down Western New Mexico 99-75 in NM State's first exhibition game since 2017.
 
"I like the way that we can score the basketball and how we got up and down the floor," said Head Coach Greg Heiar following the win. "I like the way we came out and shot the ball and played as a team. Everybody kind of played their role so I was happy with their performance."
 
Five different Aggies scored in double-figures, led by Junior newcomer Deshawndre Washington's 21 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. Issa Muhammed (15), DaJuan "Quaye" Gordon (14), Kyle Feit (12) and Anthony Roy (10) rounded out the double-digit scorers.
 
In total, all 11 Aggies who checked into the game scored against the Mustangs in the mid-week match. As a team, NM State finished the game with a 59 percent shooting clip, including going 13-of-24 from beyond the arc.
 
Meanwhile, Western New Mexico was led by Keith Littles who finished the night with 14 points while Joshuwan Johnson added 13 and Las Cruces native Tony Avalos tallied 11 points to round out the list of the Mustang's double-digit scorers.
 
FIRST HALF

• Issa Muhammad began the game by winning the jump ball to give the Aggies the first possession of the tilt. The Aggies would also register points on the board before the Mustangs as Muhammad found an open Deshawndre Washington in the corner where he completed the Northwest Florida connection by burying a triple.
• Less than two minutes into the game, Anthony Roy would present the fans with its first opportunity to raise their eyebrows as he shook a WNMU defender to the floor before hitting a step-back jumper for his first points of the game – giving the Aggies an early 7-5 lead.
• The NM State advantage would quickly hit 10 points after Quaye Gordon started the night 4-of-4 from three-point land to help the Aggies take a 29-19 lead with 11:08 on the clock in the first period.
• NM State's largest lead of the first 20 minutes would come at the six-minute mark as Kyle Feit drained the first of his four three-pointers on the night to extend the Aggies lead to 15 points.
• However, the visiting Division II program refused to lay down as they used a 9-2 run that was capped off by a transition three-pointer to cut the deficit back to singles digits with just under four minutes on the game clock.
• Late in the first half, Washington would find Muhammad for an alley-oop dunk before knocking down a pair of free throws to give the Aggies a healthy 13-point lead heading into the break.

 
SECOND HALF

• The Aggies picked up where they left off to start the second half as Washington found Muhammad for another converted alley-oop to put the Crimson and White ahead by 15 points.
• NM State would maintain its 15-point cushion later in the period as Gordon stole a Mustang inbound pass before finding a streaking Washington who threw down an emphatic dunk over a defender.
• With 13:25 left in the game, returner Marchelus Avery would help balloon the Aggie lead to 19 points after he used his size and athletic ability to maneuver through the paint for a layup.
• That 19-point lead would eventually become 20 before WNMU rattled off a 9-1 run to draw within 11.
• Near the end of the run, Coach Heiar used a line change to get five fresh legs on the court, including freshman and Las Cruces native Deuce Benjamin who received a warm welcome from Aggie Nation as he stepped on the floor for his first minutes of the game.
• After the Mustangs cut the lead to just 10 points, Benjamin knocked down his first shot attempt of the evening as he drained a three right in front of the Aggie bench.
• This triple was followed by another three from a fellow fan favorite – Mike Peake. Peake would finish the night with eight points and a pair of blocks as he looks to take on a larger role for the Aggies this season.
• The next two Aggie possessions resulted in made buckets from high-point man Deshawndre Washington to put the Aggies back in control as they led 83-65 with 4:42 left to play.
• NM State would inch closer and closer to the century mark as they kept their foot on the gas, however, it would fall a single point shy as they would wrap up the night with 99 points and a 24-point victory.

 
UP NEXT
The Aggies will be back in action at the Pan Am Center on Monday, November 7^th, marking their first official game of the Greg Heiar era when they take on New Mexico Highlands. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT.