FRISCO, Texas – NM State (6–3) saw its late comeback effort fall short this afternoon, as Tulsa (10–1) held on for an 83–70 victory at the Comerica Center. Despite a rough opening stretch that saw the Aggies face a sizeable early deficit, NM State responded with renewed energy in the second half and trimmed the margin to seven before the Golden Hurricane pulled away in the final minutes. 

The Aggies won the opening tip and struck first, as Julius Mims finished an alley-oop dunk just 27 seconds into the contest to give NM State a 2–0 lead. Tulsa quickly answered, however, using a barrage from beyond the arc to seize momentum. The Golden Hurricane knocked down eight three-pointers in the opening half and built a lead as large as 23, taking a 49–27 advantage into the locker room. 

NM State struggled to find its rhythm offensively in the first half, shooting just 30.8% from the field, while Tulsa connected on 63% of its attempts during the opening 20 minutes. 

The Aggies emerged from halftime with a renewed sense of urgency, outscoring Tulsa 43–34 in the second half. Julius Mims and Jemel Jones helped spark the rally, combining to pressure the rim and generate offense in transition as NM State chipped away at the deficit. A Jayland Randall three-pointer midway through the half capped an extended run, and moments later, Mims' putback layup pulled the Aggies within 67–60 with 7:55 remaining, marking the closest margin of the second half. 

Despite the surge, Tulsa answered with timely baskets and free throws down the stretch to preserve the lead. NM State continued to battle until the final horn but was unable to complete the comeback, falling 83–70. 

Julius Mims led the Aggies with 16 points to go along with five rebounds. Jemel Jones followed with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Cyr Malonga turned in one of his most efficient performances of the season, finishing with 13 points on 4-6 shooting from the field. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE    

• Julius Mims recorded his second consecutive double-digit scoring performance after finishing with 16 points and led the Aggies with five rebounds. He has now led the Aggies in rebounding in five of their nine games so far. 

• Cyr Malonga posted his second-highest scoring output of the year, finishing with 13 points while going an efficient 4-6 from the field. He also set his career high in free- throw makes after going 5-8 from the charity stripe. 

• NM State outscored Tulsa 43–34 in the second half and shot 48.4 percent from the floor after halftime, showing resilience following the early deficit. 

• The Aggies held a 30–18 advantage in points in the paint, highlighted by consistent pressure around the rim in the final 20 minutes. 

• After losing the rebounding battle 38-25, This marks only the second time this season that the Aggies have been outrebounded with the last time coming against I-25 rival New Mexico. 
   

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