RUSTON, La. – NM State (11-11, 4-8 CUSA) put together a strong second-half performance to battle its way to a 72-63 road victory over Conference USA foe LA Tech (12-10, 5-6 CUSA) on Wednesday night inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
While they trailed by one at halftime, the Aggies shot 58% in the final 20 minutes to take control down the stretch, outscoring the Bulldogs 41-31 in the second half to collect their second road win in league play.
Early scoring from
Jemel Jones,
Julius Mims and
Chris Terrell had the Aggies in the driver's seat early on as they jumped out to a 14-5 lead following a pair of triples from Terrell. However, the home side responded with a run of its own, scoring 10 unanswered points to take its first lead of the game at the 10:38 mark of the first half.
Amid an opening half that featured six lead changes, the final shift came with just six seconds on the clock as the Bulldogs' DJ Dudley finished a layup to leave the Aggies looking at a one-point deficit entering the break.
The Aggies quickly captured momentum in the second half as six points from Jones highlighted a 13-5 scoring run that put the Aggies in front 44-37 with 12:59 remaining. The NM State defense used consistent pressure to limit the Bulldogs to just 27% from the floor in the second half, allowing the Aggies to extend its lead to eight points with just over five minutes left to play.
Timely buckets and free throws from
Jemel Jones and
Gabe Pickens lifted the Aggies to the win as the duo combined to score the final 14 points for the Crimson and White during the closing minutes.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- Jemel Jones logged his fifth 20-point game of the season and his first since Jan. 22 when he posted 28 against Missouri State. On Wednesday, Jones turned in 20 of his 26 points in the second half.
- With 13 points and 12 rebounds, Julius Mims tallied his fifth double-double of the season and second consecutive double-double after recording 10 points and 10 boards against Kennesaw State on Saturday.
- Wednesday marks the 12th time that Jones paced the Aggies in scoring. Meanwhile, Mims has now finished as the team's leading rebounder 15 times, including each of the last six contests.
- The Aggies nine steals matched their most this season against a Division I opponent and are the most since Dec. 28, when they managed 14 steals against the University of the Southwest.
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