NMSU Men’s Basketball improves to 4-0
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- In what serves as the Aggies' final home game for a month, NM State (4-0) used a balanced scoring effort to defeat Samford (3-4) 81-72 inside the Pan American Center on Friday night. The perfect start marks the Aggies' best four-game stretch to open a season since the 2011-12 campaign.
Julius Mims showcased his all-around skill set as he finished the night as the team's leader in both points (17) and rebounds (11) to tally his first double-double as an Aggie. Offensively, he was supported by Jemel Jones, who scored 10 points from his starting role, and Jayland Randall and Kyrese Mullen, who also tallied 10 points off the bench.
As a team, the Aggies shot 54.4% (31-57) from the field, with 46 of their points coming from within the paint, where they outscored the Bulldogs by 22 points.
The NM State offense wasted no time finding its rhythm as 3-pointers from Jemel Jones and Anthony Wrzeszcz bookended an 8-2 Aggie run in the first two minutes of action. Later in the first half, Kyrese Mullen would fuel a commanding 11-2 stretch to give the Aggies a 25-19 lead with 7:47 remaining. After entering the game with four points on the season, the senior scored six points and pulled down two rebounds in just over three minutes of playing time.
The Aggie advantage would eventually balloon to 11 points following the Aggies' second alley-oop of the half as Wrzeszcz connected with a high-flying Cyr Malonga, who used two hands to flush it home. Samford would pull back within six; however, the Aggies would score the final points of the half as a wild heave from Wrzeszcz would end up in the hands of Julius Mims, who got a layup to fall as the buzzer sounded. With the Mims basket, the Aggies took a 40-32 lead into the locker room.
In the opening period, the Aggies utilized a balanced approach that saw four different Aggies score five or more points, paced by a 10-point half from Hampton transfer Kyrese Mullen. Meanwhile, Julius Mims was also a bright spot for Head Coach Jason Hooten as he ended the half with nine points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of court time. The play of Mullen and Mims also helped the Aggies put forth a commanding scoring effort down low, outscoring the Bulldogs 30-12 in the painted area.
As they did to start the first half, the Aggies opened the second period with an overwhelming offensive showing, scoring 19 of the first 26 combined points to take a 59-39 advantage with 13:29 remaining in the frame. The scoring during the stretch was paced by Jemel Jones, who was responsible for six of the team's 16 points.
Following a pair of free throws from Jayland Randall, the NM State lead later grew to 21 with 9:54 remaining to represent the largest of the game for the Crimson and White.
Despite facing a steep uphill climb, the Samford Bulldogs would not go away quietly as they rattled off a 14-4 run to trim the lead to single digits with 1:36 left on the clock. Yet, the Aggies remained poised and free throws from Elijah Elliott, Gabe Pickens and Julius Mims helped the Aggies close out a nine-point victory.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
Kyrese Mullen submitted the best performance of his Aggie career, finishing with 10 points, three rebounds in 11 minutes.
With the win, the Aggies are off to their best start in nearly 15 years, as they last began a season with four wins in 2011-12, a year in which Marvin Menzies led the Aggies to 26 wins and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Aggies will now seek a 5-0 start, which would mark the program's best start since 1990-91.
Julius Mims recorded the first double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) of his brief Aggie career and seventh of his Division I career after posting six across two seasons at Idaho. On the night, Mims was a perfect 7-7 from the floor.
While Gabe Pickens tallied just three points in the win, the point guard turned in career highs in both rebounds (7) and assists (8), while posting a team-best plus-15 in the plus-minus category.
NM State's 54% from the floor marks the highest this season. This included the Aggies shooting 7-16 from beyond the arc to represent their most efficient night from the 3-point line. The Aggies also tallied a season-high 16 assists.
