NMSU suffers first conference loss on the road at Utah Valley

It seemed so easy for NMSU a month ago.

The Aggies defeated Utah Valley 86-59 back on January 20th at the Pan American Center. But things were much more difficult on the road Thursday night in Orem as the Aggies fell by a score of 86-79.

It was the first conference loss for the Aggies in the WAC. However, their 9-1 conference record still puts them two full games ahead of Utah Valley and Seattle for first place.

NMSU and Utah Valley went back and forth much of the night Thursday. NMSU led 66-63 with less than ten minutes to go, but Utah Valley did not fold.

Instead, they answered with a late three-point barrage to enable themselves to pull away at the end of the second half. Kenneth Ogbe nailed a three-pointer with about a minute and a half to go in the game to effectively seal it for the Wolverines.

Ogbe finished with 22 points to lead his team in scoring while Zach Lofton paced the Aggies with 19.

The Wolverines were successful at keeping NMSU’s Jemerrio Jones off the glass. Jones, who had recorded 20 rebounds in three straight contests, was only able to grab six rebounds.

The loss snapped NMSU’s 11-game win streak. The Aggies are now 22-4 overall this season with three of their four losses coming on the road or at a neutral site.

NMSU will have to regroup quickly as their next game is at Seattle on Saturday.