The New Mexico State men’s basketball team defeated Louisiana Tech Saturday at the Pan American Center in a hard-fought game filled with plenty of tie scores and lead changes.
In all, there were 19 lead changes and 11 ties in the game. The Aggies went on to capture the 83-72 win to improve to 17-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play.
“We played like a team that’s growing and getting better, and down the stretch I think it showed,” NM State coach Marvin Menzies said. “That was a talented team that came in here tonight. They shot a lot of threes obviously, but I thought we did a really good job challenging their threes late.”
Coming into the game, LA Tech had attempted a conference-high 533 three-pointers. The Bulldogs stayed true to their identity Saturday night, shooting 26 shots from beyond the arc.
However, the Aggies responded by pounding the ball into the paint for high-percentage shots. NM State outscored LA Tech 46-22 in the paint
“That was the emphasis of the whole game, but I think in the second half we locked in,” said freshman guard Daniel Mullings in regards to scoring in the paint. “We owe it all to the bigs for getting down there and posting and holding their position.”
After being held to just one point in the first half, Mullings scored 14 points in the second half. The freshmen from Toronto also scored eight consecutive points down the stretch to give the Aggies the lead for good.
“As a team collectively, we just came together and said that we’re going stop these guys and their three-ball,” Mullings said. “At one point in the game they were actually leading us in rebounds, so we just got together and started collecting rebounds and that helped us pull away.”
Mullings went toe-to-toe with LA Tech freshman guard Raheem Appleby, who finished with a game-high 30 points. Appleby’s 30 points is the most points scored by an opposing player against the Aggies this season.
“I think any fan watching had a chance to see the future of the WAC,” Menzies said. “It was really exciting to watch those guys get after it. For Appleby to have 30 points as a freshman on the road, he’s the real deal.”
With the win, NM State swept the season series against LA Tech. The Aggies defeated the Bulldogs in Ruston, La. on Jan. 7.
The Aggies are now a game behind Nevada for first place in the conference, after the Wolf Pack had their 16-game winning streak snapped by Idaho.
Next for the Aggies is a two-game WAC road trip. NM State plays Idaho on Feb. 9 and Utah State on Feb. 11 before returning to Las Cruces for a four-game homes stand.
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