LAS CRUCES, N.M. –  After delivering one of the most exciting performances in the history of the Pan American Center on Thursday, the Aggies returned to Lou Henson Court for a bout with a Middle Tennessee squad searching for their first CUSA win. Robert Carpenter led the Aggies with 17 points in just 12 minutes of action, while the NM State defense held the Blue Raiders to just 34.5% shooting from the field and a 10-33 mark from the 3-point line in a 73-62 victory on Saturday night.  

Joining Carpenter in double-digits was Brandon Suggs (13 points), Jordan Rawls (12 points) and Christian Cook (12 points) while the team finished with a shooting percentage of 41.8. The Aggies also held the advantage in points from turnovers (20-10), points in the paint (20-16), fast break points (14-5) and points from the bench (22-20). 

FIRST HALF 

• Middle Tennessee controlled the opening tip and scored the first five points of the game before Kaosi Ezeagu put in the first NM State bucket with 18:10 remaining in the half. Femi Odukale entered the game and went to work, driving home a layup that gave the Aggies their first lead of the night – a 6-5 lead that would not be relinquished in the first half.  

• After knocking down their first two shot attempts of the night, Middle Tennessee struggled to find the bottom of the net over the ensuing four minutes and fourteen seconds, going 0-for-8 until a Jared Coleman-Jones layup put the Blue Raiders within one. 

• With 11:43 left in the first half, the Aggies went on a 10-1 run where four different players added points during the run. The burst was capped off with a fadeaway mid-range jumper from Christian Cook. 

• Later in the first, the Aggies managed to finish off the first half on an 11-7 run that nearly ended with a Femi Odukale half-court shot that rimmed out – leaving the score at 34-26. 

Second Half  

• After knocking down four triples in Thursday's contest with Western Kentucky, Jaden Harris opened the second half draining a 3-point shot from the top of the key, giving NM State their first double-digit lead of the night. Following that possession the Blue Raiders fought back, using an 0-for-5 shooting slump from the Aggies to go on a 12-2 run to even the score at 39-39 with 14:06 left on the clock.  

• Using the raucous Pan Am crowd, the next five minutes belonged to the Aggies, responding with an 11-5 run of their own to extend the lead, including an emphatic slam from Seton Hall transfer forward Femi Odukale driving down the middle of the lane.  

• With 6:05 left, MTSU's Tre Green drained a statement three pointer to give the Blue Raiders a 53-50 lead. Stuck in foul trouble for much of the night, Robert Carpenter was limited to just 12 minutes on the night, picking up his fourth foul with 18:17 left in the second half. Following a timeout on the floor, Aggie Head Coach Jason Hooten made the decision to insert Carpenter back in the game, hoping he could give the team a much-needed jolt. The risk paid off for the Crimson & White as Carpenter came in one fire. He scored ten points in one minute and 30 seconds, including nine points on three straight from beyond the arc and the last being a four-point play to give NM State a 60-55 lead.  

• In the waning minutes of the game Jordan Rawls played the role of closer, putting in five clutch points to increase the lead 65-58. Fouling on the Blue Raiders end represented their last hope to stay in the game, but it was too little too late as the Aggies improved to 9-1 at home and 3-1 in Conference USA action with a 73-62 decision.  

NUMBERS OF NOTE  

• Jordan Rawls' seven assists are tied for the most assists by any individual against Middle Tennessee this season. Rawls also finished with 12 points to mark his highest scoring output since scoring 20 at Louisville on Nov. 26.  

• The Aggies finished with four players in double figures to mark the ninth time this season that four or more Aggies scored at least 10 points. NM State now moves to 5-1 on the season when four players reach double digits.  

• With the victory, NM State moves to 9-1 at home on the season and is now 161-20 inside the Pan American Center since 2011-12. In front of their home crowd, the Aggies are posting an average scoring margin of plus-14.2 while the margin away from the Pan Am is minus-18.  

• The Aggies are now 4-1 in their last five games, marking their best five-game stretch since the final five games of the 2021-22 season.  

• Brandon Suggs posted a new scoring high in an Aggie uniform as he finished with 13 points on 3-of-8 shooting, including going a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.  

• Robert Carpenter finished with a team-high 17 points to post double figures for the second straight game. This also marks the 11^th time that the Detroit native scored 10 or more points this season. 

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