LAS VEGAS – Back in the Orleans Arena and back in the win column for the Aggies.
 
NM State (2-1, 0-0 WAC) shot nearly 55% from the field to defeat San Diego (4-2, 0-0 WCC) 90-77 in the opener of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
 
With 25 points on just 10 shots, Xavier Pinson led an Aggie offense that finished the night with five different double-digit scorers. Missouri transfer DaJuan Gordon (16), Doctor Bradley (15), Issa Muhammad (14) and Deshawndre Washington also eclipsed 10 points against the Toreros.
 
The Aggies' aggression was evident throughout the contest – outscoring San Diego 48-28 in the painted area. Sharing the ball and taking care of the ball also played a big part in the Aggies' second win of the season as NM State committed just nine turnovers while compiling 25 assists on 36 made shots.
 
Meanwhile, the NM State defense put the clamps on the Toreros' top two scorers as they limited their leading scorer, Eric Williams Jr., to just four points and Sigu Sisoho Jawara managed to score just three points. Williams Jr. entered the night averaging 22.3 while Sisoho Jawara was posting 18.7 points per game to rank second on USD. As a whole, NM State held San Diego shooters to just 30% from the field.
 
FIRST HALF

• After entering the starting lineup for the first time this season, Doctor Bradley immediately impacted the game by finishing a baseline drive with a dunk in traffic to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead just 38 seconds into the game.
• The story in the early portion of the first half was the Aggies' ability to shoot the deep ball. DaJuan Gordon and Xavier Pinson combined to start 4-of-4 from beyond the arc to put the Aggies ahead 16-4 with 15:55 left in the first half.
• Pinson's hot hand didn't cool off either as he would knock down his first five three-pointers to help the Aggies maintain its 12-point lead (31-19).
• NM State's leading scorer, Dehawndre Washington, eventually got into the score column with a turnaround jumper that put the Aggies up 38-23.
• Gordon would then cap off NM State's first-half scoring with his fourth three-pointer – giving the Aggies their largest lead of the first 20 minutes at 18 points (41-23) with just under two minutes to play. 

SECOND HALF

• NM State started its scoring in the second half the same way it ended the first half as Xavier Pinson knocked down a deep three to put the Aggies up 44-27.
• A few moments later, Doctor Bradley would put the Aggies ahead by 20 points as he turned a long rebound into a fastbreak dunk on the other end.
• Issa Muhammad then got into the action at the rim as he used emphatic dunks to score the Aggies' next four points and help Greg Heiar's team remain ahead by 19 with 17:05 to play.
• San Diego would battle its way back late in the second half as they went on a 10-5 scoring run to reduce the lead to just six points with 3:59 to play.
• Deshawndre Washington then found Anthony Roy in the corner for a timely three-pointer to help the Aggies fend off the tough Toreros.
• The lead would ultimately balloon back to 15 points following a breakaway windmill dunk from Washington with 47 seconds remaining on the clock.
• Despite being outscored in the second half by three points, NM State still earned a spot in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic Championship by way of a 13-point victory.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Xavier Pinson finished with a game-high 25 points to record his second-straight contest with 20 or more points. Pinson also finished with a season-high eight assists.
• Deshawndre Washington finished just one assist shy of his third double-double in as many games as he turned in 11 points and nine helpers in 33 minutes of action.
• DaJuan Gordon tallied double-digit scoring figures for the first time this season with 16 points.
• Doctor Bradley posted a career-high 15 points while finishing the night a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor.
• As a team, the Aggies shot 54.5% from three-point land to mark their highest three-point shooting percentage of the young season.
• NM State finished with a season-high 25 assists to post the most assists by an Aggie team since Dec. 29, 2019, when they tallied 30 assists in a win over Northern New Mexico.

UP NEXT
The Aggies will play for the Las Vegas Holiday Classic Championship tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. MT when they collide with UC Irvine. The Aggies most recently met the Anteaters when they defeated UC Irvine 62-51 in the season opener last season.