LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State junior Pascal Siakam notched his third 30-plus game of the season and his 10th double-double of the year as he led the Aggies to a 76-61 victory against Oral Roberts on Monday night at the Pan American Center.
 
The 6-9 forward from Douala, Cameroon, equaled his career-high with 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Aggies (7-5) won their second straight game and handed the Golden Eagles (8-5) their fourth straight loss.
 
"I'm very pleased with the verdict tonight," said NM State head coach Marvin Menzies. "Oral Roberts is a very good team. Our guys took this game seriously and approached this game with the right mentality. We were a little sluggish in the beginning, but I'm pleased how it came out."
 
The Aggies fell behind early as ORU opened the game on a 10-2 run, but the Aggies answered with a 12-1 run later in the half.
 
NM State carried a 34-33 lead into the half, with Siakam scoring 21 of the Aggies points.
 
However, the Aggies answered the bell in the second, opening with a 15-6 run and never looked back. NM State outscored ORU 42-28 in the second frame.
 
The Aggies used a strong performance on the glass, out rebounding ORU 41-29.
 
"Rebounding was an emphasis at halftime," said Menzies. "We ended up with 18 offensive rebounds with 22 second chance points. If you can get a third of your points without calling a play, it makes your job a lot easier on the offensive end."
 
Siakam didn't get all of his 35 points from the inside, as he was hitting from mid-range and even collected his first 3-pointer of his career.
 
The Aggies also got 12 points and six rebounds from both Johnathon Wilkins and Ian Baker, while Jalyn Pennie added seven points and seven boards.
 
The Golden Eagles got 18 points from Obi Emegano, while Brandon Conley double-doubled with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
 
The Aggies take their back-to-back wins on the road for the final contest of three in five days as they visit Waco, Texas to take on 23rd ranked Baylor on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Mountain time at the Farrell Center.