MURFREESBORO, TN. - Following a tough loss to their I-10 rivals UTEP, NM State headed to Murfreesboro looking to get over the hump and find their first road victory of the season. Despite an impressive showing in the first half of play, the Aggies couldn't power past the second-half surge of the Blue Raiders as they fell 76-69.
 
Jaden Harris led all Aggie scorers with 22 points on the night. Femi Odukale finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds to get his second double-double of the season. Before fouling out late in the second half, Kaosi Ezeagu totaled 13 points and nine rebounds for a near double-double in his efforts. Jordan Rawls also finished in double figures with 11 points on the night.
 
First Half

• Coming out of the gate, Jaden Harris would get the Aggies on the board first with two free throws and followed up with a mid-range jumper to give them a quick 4-0 lead. Middle Tennessee's first points would come from starting center Jared Coleman-Jones with a jumper from the right side of the basket to get them going.
• Within the first 5:20 of play, the Aggies went on a 12-2 run to give themselves some breathing room early on. Following a short burst of points by the Blue Raiders, the Aggies kicked it back in gear and orchestrated a 16-4 run with 3:28 left led by Harris and Christian Cook. Both managed to add five points during the run and give NM State a comfortable 33-17 lead.
• To finish out the first half, the Aggies would only score five points to finish out. Middle Tennessee managed to shorten the lead to 38-24 by the end of the half with Jestin Porter leading the way for the Blue Raiders with seven points at the halfway mark. Harris led NM State in the scoring category with 14 while going 2-3 from beyond the arc. 

Second Half

• To start the second, Porter came off a screen and drained a three from the top of the key and got the Blue Raiders on the board early. On the next possession, the Aggies would score six points in a row with four coming from Femi Odukale to make the score 44-27 and take their biggest lead of the contest. Over the next nine minutes, the Blue Raiders would wither away the Aggie lead with a 30-13 run with Porter adding 12 points and 10 points coming from Coleman tying the count 57-57. 
• After coming out of the media break with 7:49 left on the clock, Femi Odukale drove into the paint to make an acrobatic floater to give the Aggies back the lead 59-57. On the following possession, Yaak Yaak would foul Coleman which led to him cashing in two free throws to make the score even once again.
• Coming back down the lane, Harris would keep his hot shooting night going with a fading mid-range jumper to put his total at 20 points for the night. After another layup by Porter to get his 24^th point of the night, Ezeagu would then pick up a flagrant foul following a rebound that would lead to a made free throw and push the Blue Raider lead to 65-61 with 5:11 left in the half.
• With 2:14 left Femi Odukale would convert on a tough right-handed layup and tie the score up 67-67. After the Odukale layup, the Blue Raiders took the lead 69-67. Shortly following, Ezeagu would then foul out the game and finish with 13 points and nine rebounds on the night. 
• With 42 seconds left Harris converted on another important mid-range jumper to make the score 69-71 and put the Aggies back within striking distance. After the last-minute effort, Harris would miss a three-point attempt and the Blue Raiders would put the game out of reach with free throws and make the final score 76-69.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Femi Odukale finished the night with one of his best performances in an Aggie uniform. He finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks on the night. His four blocks are the highest block total of his career and mark the most in a game by any Aggie this season. He also broke his highest rebound total with 11 on the night. Lastly, he finished with his second double-double of the season.
• NM State only recorded two bench points on the night, resulting in its lowest amount by the Aggies this season.
• Jaden Harris has now posted 20+ plus points in two consecutive games. He recorded 20 points last week in the road loss against UTEP. 
• The Aggies have become the only team in CUSA to be undefeated at home and winless on the road in conference play this season. 

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