LAS CRUCES, N.M. – For the first time in 277 days, the Aggie faithful got to witness the NM State men's basketball team play on its home floor. Coach Jason Hooten and his squad did not disappoint as it dismantled Sul Ross State 84-49 in front of 4,507 fans, including a packed student section.
 
Offensively, the Aggies were led by Kaosi Ezeagu who finished the night one rebound shy of a double-double, posting 14 points and nine rebounds. Additionally, Jordan Rawls was the Aggies' leading scorer as he turned 15 points while shooting 50% from the field. Clarence "Monzy" Jackson also neared a double-double as he compiled 11 points and seven boards in 20 minutes of play.
 
As a team, the Aggies controlled the paint and were clearly the more physical team on Wednesday night and that was evident by their 40 free throw attempts. The Aggie defense also posed problems for the Lobos all night – forcing 20 turnovers to mark the first time that an Aggie team has done so since 2021.
 
Sul Ross State used a stellar offensive performance from Gabe Sanchez to hang around in the first half before watching the Aggies pull away during the final 20 minutes. Sanchez finished with 22 points, including going 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.
 
FIRST HALF

• Following a pair of empty possessions, the Aggies put up their first points on Lou Henson Court under Jason Hooten as Christian Cook drained a three from the left wing.
• The Aggies slim five-point advantage dissipated as Sul Ross' Gabe Sanchez knocked down a pair of back-to-back triples to tie the game at 10 points apiece with 14:27 on the clock. Sanchez had the hot hand for the Lobos in the first half, knocking down his first six three-point attempts, all of which came in the opening 10 minutes.
• Behind Sanchez, Sul Ross took the lead at the 13:58 mark and would not relinquish the advantage until the 8:30 mark when a Jordan Rawls layup tied the game at 23. Moments later, Jaden Harris gave the Aggies a lead that it would never lose.
• The Aggies finally got things going as they put together an 11-0 run during the final five minutes of the half that helped them build a 12-point lead. The run was mostly fueled by Jordan Rawls who scored six of the 11 points. 

SECOND HALF

• After carrying a half time lead of just eight points, Sul Ross State cut it to five points with a three on their first possession of the second half. From there, NM State outscored the Lobos 12-2 across the next five minutes of action.
• Later in the half, the Aggies poured it on as they extended their lead to 31 points behind an 18-0 run in the middle of the period. During the stretch, Keylon Dorsey notched eight of his 10 points on the night.
• The Aggies would seal the deal with a final run to end the game in which they scored 10 unanswered points to end the game with a 35-point victory.

NUMBERS OF NOTE
· In his first home game as an Aggie, Kaosi Ezeagu was one point shy of his career high in points with 14 and tied his career high in rebounds with nine for the fifth time in his career
· With the Aggies not being at full strength right now coach Hooten has leaned on Jaden Harris who has recorded his second straight game of 20 plus minutes.
· The Aggies dominated the Lobos in the paint, scoring 32 of their 84 points down low. Meanwhile, Sul Ross State tallied only 16 points in the painted area.
· After escaping the first half only leading the Lobos by eight points, the Aggies exploded in the second half stretching the score differential 41 to 14 in the second half.
· For the first time since Feb. 1st 2021 the Aggies had 5 players eclipse double digits in points in the same game.
· For the first tine since Dec. 18 2021 the Aggies have won a game by 30+ points.
· Freshman Keylon Dorsey recorded his first career minutes as an Aggie – putting up 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in just under 14 minutes of action.
· Transfer senior forward Brandon Suggs in his first minutes as an Aggie – putting up four points, one rebound and one assist in 14 minutes of action.