New Mexico State’s basketball teams return to action, with its men’s team facing Abilene Christian and New Mexico and its women’s team facing the Lobos twice in three days.
Both Aggies’ teams are coming off disappointing showings at tournaments. NM State’s men’s team (3-4) went 0-2 at the Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe, falling to Pepperdine 82-70 and Bowling Green 61-60. The Aggies shot below 40% from the floor in both contests, including a 34% mark against BGSU. NM State has a losing record after starting the season 3-0, beginning a losing streak with losses to Dayton and UNLV on the road.
The Aggies’ women’s team (4-3) finished 1-2 at the Gulf Coast Showcase this past weekend in Fort Myers, Fla., losing to Texas 90-50 and Illinois State 82-66 and defeating Santa Clara 61-49. The Longhorns were ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll when they faced NM State. Senior guard Jaila Harding came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points against Santa Clara.
Here’s everything you need to know before the Aggies take the court this week:
Men’s basketball
Abilene Christian (5-3) at New Mexico State
Location: Pan American Center, Las Cruces, NM
Tip-off time: Dec. 4, 5 p.m.
Network: ESPN+
Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ
New Mexico State at New Mexico (6-2)
Location: The Pit, Albuquerque, NM
Tip-off time: Dec. 7, 7 p.m.
Network: MW Network
Radio: 99.5 FM KXPZ
Things to know
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ACU is coming off a 71-55 win against Omaha and ranks sixth in the Western Athletic Conference with 71.9 points per game. The Wildcats are allowing 73.5 points per game defensively.
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NM State will face UNM only once in the regular season, per an agreement between the athletic directors and men’s coaches at both schools. The Aggies and Lobos have usually faced each other twice in years past in a home-and-home format.
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UNM’s Donovan Dent ranks second in the Mountain West Conference with 18.6 points per game, and he’s helped the Lobos score an MWC-second-best 84.8 points per game this season.
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Graduate student forward Robert Carpenter leads the Aggies with 12.6 points per game and is second behind fellow graduate student forward Peter Filipovity with 7.7 rebounds per game. Filipovity is averaging eight rebounds per game.
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Saturday will be the 228th all-time meeting between rivals UNM and NM State. The Lobos lead 125-103 in the series and defeated the Aggies twice last season.
Women’s basketball
New Mexico State at New Mexico (5-3)
Location: The Pit, Albuquerque, NM
Tip-off time: Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
Network: MW Network
New Mexico at New Mexico State
Location: The Pit, Albuquerque, NM
Tip-off time: Dec. 8, 2 p.m.
Network: ESPN+
Things to know
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UNM is coming off a 75-58 win over North Texas and has won four of its past five games.
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The Lobos rank second in the MWC with 73.1 points per game and has two of the MWC’s top-10 scorers in Destinee Hooks and Vianè Cumber.
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NM State averages the third-fewest points amongst CUSA teams (65.4), but senior guard Molly Kaiser leads the conference with 18.6 points per game.
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Senior forward Fanta Gassama leads the Aggies with nine rebounds per game, a mark that ranks third among CUSA players.
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The Aggies fell to the Lobos 67-52 on the road last season and have only won six times in the previous 35 matchups since 2003.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: What to know before NM State’s basketball teams face New Mexico
