Box Score LAS CRUCES, N.M. – For the second straight game, a strong first-half three-point shooting performance put the Aggies in a hole in would be unable to climb out of. On New Year's Eve, NM State (7-7, 0-2 WAC) fell 75-62 to Sam Houston (11-3, 1-1 WAC) to suffer back-to-back home losses for the first time since 2010.
NM State was led in the scoring column by a pair of 13-point performances from both
Xavier Pinson and
DaJuan Quaye Gordon.
Marchelus Avery also eclipsed 10 points as he finished with 12 points after knocking down three three-pointers and just as many free throws. Avery also ended the night as the Aggies' leading rebounder while
Deshawndre Washington's five assists paced the Aggies.
The Aggies shot just 36% from beyond the arc, including knocking down just three triples on 14 attempts in the first half. Meanwhile, Sam Houston drained 13 long balls and shot 52% from the field.
FIRST HALF
- A successful inbounds play set Deshawndre Washington up for a layup to break the seal for the Aggies before Sam Houston's Qua Grant and Donte Powers hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Bearkats ahead by six points less than three minutes into the game.
- Eventually, Sam Houston reached a 12-point lead (19-7) in front of the Aggie faithful when DaJuan Quaye Gordon ended a 7-0 Sam Houston run.
- Gordon later dazzled when he crashed the boards and was able to throw down a right-handed putback dunk to give the Aggies life despite being down by 13 points with 10:19 left in the opening period.
- The Aggies went down by as much as 18 as Sam Houston hit six of its first eight three-point attempts.
- Marchelus Avery, who led the Aggies in scoring in the first half with eight points, began a seven-point scoring streak to pull NM State within 11 as the half neared a close. However, Sam Houston would eventually go into the break with a 13-point advantage.
SECOND HALF
- NM State was able to score first out of the break as Issa Muhammad slipped out of a screen and finished at the rim off a pass from Avery.
- Although, Sam Houston would score eight of the ensuing 10 points to put the Aggies behind by 17 points with 16:34 on the clock.
- After only playing eight minutes and scoring zero points in the first half, Xavier Pinson finally entered the scoring column as he scored the next nine points for the Crimson & White to pull them back to within 11 points. This also came amid a stretch in which 24 combined consecutive points came off of three-pointers.
- The Aggies nearly reduced the lead to single digits several times in the second half, however, would never get closer than 10 points as Sam Houston went on to maintain the same cushion that it entered the half with – winning the game by 13 points.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- The Aggies' loss on Lou Henson Court on Saturday evening marked the first time that the Aggies suffered back-to-back defeats at home since 2010 when they fell to UTEP on Nov. 30 before dropping a game to New Mexico on Dec. 4 during Marvin Menzies' fourth year as the program leader. The 2010-11 season was also the last time that NM State finished with a sub-.500 win percentage.
- DaJuan Quaye Gordon's 13-point night goes down as the seventh consecutive game with double digits in the scoring column.
- In his fifth straight start, Marchelus Avery recorded double digits for the fourth time in the last six games. In total, Avery is averaging 13.3 points per game during that stretch.
- Xavier Pinson posted 13 points to notch his third consecutive outing with more than 10 points.
- Sam Houston's 52% shooting percentage marks the highest for any Aggie opponent this season and best shooting percentage since Utah State shot 56% on Nov. 19, 2021.
- NM State's 62-points is the lowest-scoring total of the season for the Aggie offense. Similarly, the Aggies pulled down a season-low 24 rebounds.
++NM State++
