Aggies Saddle Mustangs to Begin 2024 Campaign
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- After 233 days, the Aggies are back in the Pan American Center. NM State hosted Western New Mexico in a season-opening exhibition on Monday, Oct. 28, in Las Cruces. The Aggies used strong performances from returners Robert Carpenter (22 points), Christian Cook (14 points) and Jaden Harris (10 points) to close the night with a 77-56 victory.
First Half
· Senior transfer guard Dionte Bostick proved himself to the NM State faithful early, opening the scoring with a driving layup less than a minute into the game. However, Western New Mexico would answer back with a triple for the early 3-2 advantage.
· Big man Robert Carpenter buried a corner triple to retake a 5-3 lead, though the Mustangs would respond with an 8-0 run, putting the Aggies behind 11-5 with just under 16 minutes in the opening frame.
· Trailing by six, the Aggies used balanced scoring to propel themselves into a 27-5 run, with eight different scorers to put NM State on top 36-18. A late rally by the Mustangs sent the game to halftime with the Crimson & White on top 38-24.
Second Half
· Over the final 20 minutes, it was a back-and-forth affair for both teams in the end, but the Aggies held steady and their lead never led dropped below 14 points. As the final buzzer sounded, NM State walked off Lou Henson Court triumphant, 77-56.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
· Graduate forward Robert Carpenter led the way for the Aggies, pouring in 22 points with six three-pointers. Carpenter stuffed the stat sheet in his 28 minutes of action, adding in eight rebounds, three steals, one block and one assist.
· The Crimson & White tallied advantages in paint points (34-24), bench points (25-13), and second-chance points (20-12).
· A quartet of Aggies posted double-digits on Monday night, with returners Robert Carpenter (22 points), Christian Cook (14 points) and Jaden Harris (10 points) among the leading scorers – West Georgia transfer Zawdie Jackson rounded out the top scorers with 11 points.
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