NM State Throttles Bulldogs to Begin 2-0 in Conference USA Action 

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- There’s nothing quite like conference action. Following Thursday’s gritty 75-71 home victory over Sam Houston, NM State (9-6, 2-0 CUSA) returned to the Pan American Center for a bout with the LA Tech Bulldogs (11-4, 0-2 CUSA). Behind a 19-point performance from Christian Cook and a swarming defense, the Aggies knocked off the preseason conference favorites in dominant fashion, 78-48.  

Despite securing the opening tip, the Bulldogs scored the first points of the contest at the free-throw line; though senior guard Zawdie Jackson responded 20 seconds later to make it a 2-2 contest early. A pair of LA Tech triples sent the Aggies into the under trailing 10-6. 

After the timeout, NM State’s offense awoke, using a 17-0 run headlined by graduate forward Robert Carpenter’s eight consecutive points; turning a 10-6 deficit into a 23-10 Aggie lead.

The Aggies closed out the half with a dominant defensive performance, holding the Bulldogs to just nine points over the final 14:25 of action, allowing LA Tech to shoot just 23% from the field. Smothering on-ball defense kept CUSA Preseason Player of the Year Daniel Batcho scoreless throughout the first 14 minutes, finally putting himself on the scoreboard with 6:25 left in the opening stanza. 

On the other end, the Crimson & White stayed red-hot offensively, fueled by Cook and Carpenter, who combined to shoot an impressive 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Aggies shot a blistering 57% from the field, building a commanding 44-19 lead; their largest halftime margin against any Division I opponent this season, and the fewest points Louisiana Tech has scored in the first half since Jan. 11, 2023.

Returning from the break, the Bulldogs attempted to claw their way back into the contest, using baskets by Sean Newman Jr., Amaree Abram and Daniel Batcho to shrink the Aggie lead to its smallest of the half (45-24). Despite best efforts, NM State closed out the contest with a decisive 78-48 victory. With the win, the Aggies improved to 7-1 inside the Pan American Center, while dropping the Bulldogs to 6-3 away from Ruston, La. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE   

·  Defeating preseason Conference USA favorites LA Tech by 30 points on Saturday afternoon, this becomes the Aggies’ largest win in conference play since joining CUSA in July 2023, and the widest margin of victory in any conference game since Mar. 5, 2020, when NM State defeated WAC foe California Baptist 83-50 in Las Cruces.

· A stifling Crimson & White defense held the Bulldogs below their season averages in multiple team categories, including scoring offense (-31.1 points below season average), field goal percentage (-18.7), three-point percentage (-14.7) and scoring margin (-41.9). On the other end of the court, NM State outperformed LA Tech’s defensive averages including points allowed per game (+10.8 above season average), 3-point defense (+18.2) and rebounding margin (+9.3).  

· Preseason CUSA Player of the Year Daniel Batch entered Saturday’s contest averaging 19.3 points per game on an NCAA-leading 74.6% field goal percentage. Jason Hooten’s squad held the senior forward to just four points on 2-for-2 shooting - a season low in both categories. As well, Batcho had recorded a block in 38 of his 42 games (18 in  a row) with LA Tech; a streak broken on Saturday afternoon.

· After tallying 19 points this afternoon, senior guard Christian Cook has led the Aggies in scoring over their last seven contests, averaging 19.4 points per game since posting 27 in a win over New Mexico on Dec. 7.

· Following today’s performance, the Aggies finished with their highest field goal percentage (57%) and three-point percentage (48%) against any level of competition - surpassing their numbers against NAIA member University of the Southwest (54.2% from the field and 46.4 from three-point range).

· Cook, Carpenter and Jackson powered the NM State offense on Saturday, combining to go 10-13 from beyond the arc - with each only failing to hit the mark once. 

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