This Game
The New Mexico State men’s basketball team continues its first WAC road trip of the season at San Jose State, Monday, Jan. 5, at 8 p.m., in San Jose, Calif. The game is carried on the Aggie Sports Network and on KGRT 104 FM in Las Cruces with the ‘Voice of the Aggies’ Jack Nixon. The Aggies are 7-7 and 1-0 in the league after defeating Fresno State, 79-66, Jan. 3, in Fresno, Calif.
New Mexico State Aggies
The Aggies began WAC play with a 79-66 win at Fresno State, Jan. 3, at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. The victory was the first road win of the season for the Aggies. Sophomore guard Jahmar Young had a game-high 25 points while sophomore forward Wendell McKines collected his eighth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
This season, NMSU has consistently had a balanced offensive attack with four players recording double-digit scoring averages with sophomore guard Jahmar Young and junior guard Jonathan Gibson posting 17.8 and 14.9 points per game, respectively. Sophomore forward Wendell McKines is supplying 13.3 points along with a team-best 9.1 rebounds per contest while freshman forward Troy Gillenwater is adding 12.0 points.
San Jose State Spartans
The Spartans are 6-5 after starting the conference season with a 66-61 loss to Louisiana Tech, Jan. 3, in San Jose. Sophomore guard Adrian Oliver scored a game-high 18 points while junior forward C.J. Webster followed with 17 points and senior forward Tim Pierce supplied 10 points. Oliver is leading the Spartans with 19.6 points per game. Pierce and Webster are contributing with 16.9 points and 11.8 points per contest, respectively.
Series Notes
NMSU leads the all-time series, 25-10, after a pair of wins last season, 83-81, Feb. 2, in San Jose, and 88-65, March 6, in Las Cruces. Currently, the Aggies post a seven-game winning streak in the series.
Previous Meeting
In the second meeting of the season last year, the Aggies collected an 88-65 win over San Jose State, March 6, 2008, in Las Cruces. Guard/forward Justin Hawkins led the Aggies with 18 points.
Last Game
The Aggies won both their WAC opener and first road game of the season at Fresno State, 79-66, Jan. 3. NMSU has now won the last three games in the series. The Aggies recorded their first halftime lead on the road, 40-22. Sophomore forward Wendell McKines had a career-high six assists along with his eighth double-double of the year. Sophomore guard Gordo Castillo had his first double-digit performance with a career-high 10 points on a 4-of-5 showing from the field.
WAC Openers
NMSU began its fourth season in the WAC with a 79-66 win at Fresno State, Jan. 3. The Aggies are now 4-0 in WAC openers.
In a League of Their Own
The Aggies are leading the WAC in both individual and team categories. Freshman guard Hernst Laroche has a league-best assist/turnover ratio (2.74) and sophomore guard Jahmar Young is second in scoring (17.8 points per game). Young also ranks third in free-throw percentage (81.7). Junior guard Jonathan Gibson is first in 3-point field goals made (2.46) and fourth in steals per game (1.54). In 3-point field goal percentage, Young ranks second (45.8) while Gibson follows in fourth (43.2). Sophomore forward Wendell McKines ranks first in rebounding (9.1) while freshman forward Troy Gillenwater is second in blocks per game (1.71). Overall, the Aggies rank first in scoring offense (78.7 points per game) and 3-point percentage (41.2).
Young Guns
Sophomore guard Jahmar Young led the Aggies in scoring in the first six games of the season. He is averaging 17.8 points per game. He had a career-high seven 3-point field goals in the win over Loyola Marymount, Dec. 28.
Dual Threat
Sophomore forward Wendell McKines has recorded a double-double in eight games this season. McKines opened the WAC season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds against New Mexico, Dec. 30, after a 12-point and 12-rebound performance against Loyola Marymount, Dec. 28. McKines had a span of four consecutive double-double versus Prairie View A&M, (19 points, 12 rebounds), UTEP (15 points and 12 rebounds), Sacramento State, (17 points and 11 rebounds) and at North Texas (14 points and 10 rebounds). His first double-double of the season occurred at Long Beach State, Nov. 30, with 16 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. In his first start of the year, the Oakland, Calif., native tied his career-high performance with eight field goals on 14 shots. He leads the Aggies with 9.1 rebounds per game.
Offensive Outburst
The Aggie offense was clicking with a 104-62 win over Loyola Marymount, Dec. 28. NMSU’s 59 first half points were the most scored in a half since 59 against Norfolk State, Dec. 28, 2006. The Aggies made 17 3-pointers, which were only two shy of the school record. Sophomore guard Jahmar Young scored a season-high 30 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers. Junior guard Jonathan Gibson also had tied his season-high mark with 20 points. Sophomore forward Wendell McKines posted his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Gordo Castillo and freshman guard Terrance Joyner also had career-high performances with nine and seven points, respectively. In addition, freshman center Hamidu Rahman blocked a career-high five shots.
There’s No Place Like Home
The Aggies had a very successful non-conference season at the Pan American Center. NMSU was 6-1 at home with wins over UTEP, Loyola Marymount, Sacramento State, Prairie View A&M, Pepperdine and UC Riverside with New Mexico handing the Aggies their lone home loss, 68-66, Dec. 30.
Freshmen Feats
Freshman center Hamidu Rahman and freshman guard Terrance Joyner had career nights in their first game at UTEP, Dec. 20. Rahman had a career-high 19 points to lead the Aggies on a 5-of-7 performance from the field and a 9-for-10 showing at the free-throw line.
Joyner was a spark off the bench with a career-high six points, four rebounds and his first steal as an Aggie.
Red Hot Rivalry
NMSU snapped a two-game losing skid to UTEP with a 90-78 victory, Dec. 14. The Aggies’ 90 points were the most either team has scored in the series since Dec. 2, 2000.
The Newest Addition
Freshman guard Terrance Joyner has joined the Aggies after completing his second semester at NMSU. In his first appearance, he had two assists and two rebounds in 11 minutes played against Prairie View A&M, Dec. 17.
Fearless
For the second consecutive year, the Aggies played two teams ranked in the top 25 in the first five games of the season. NMSU fell at No. 20/19 Southern California, 73-60, Nov. 18, and No. 23 Kansas, the defending national champions, 100-79, Dec. 3. Last season, the Aggies played at No. 13/10 Duke and versus No. 15/16 Texas.
Troy’s Treys
Freshman forward Troy Gillenwater scored in double-figures in the Aggies first 10 games of the season. At Long Beach State, he recorded two assists, the first of his career, and a season-high three steals. Gillenwater collected a season-high four assists against UTEP, Dec. 14.
Curtain Call
Freshman guard Hernst Laroche had a career night at Long Beach State, Nov. 30. He had a career-high eight assists. Laroche was also perfect from the 3-point line. He went 2-for-2 on his first two attempts from behind the arc.
Sophomore forward Robert Lumpkins also had a career-high performance at Long Beach State, Nov. 30. Off the bench, he had his first double-digit showing with 11 points going 3-of-6 from the 3-point line.
Ring of Fire
As a team, the Aggies shot 50 percent from the 3-point line at Long Beach State (11-of-22) and North Texas (5-of-10). Sophomore guard Jahmar Young was 4-for-7 while sophomore forward Robert Lumpkins was 3-for-6 from beyond the line at Long Beach State.
May the Force
The Aggies forced 20 turnovers in the first three games this season against UC Riverside, Pepperdine and at No. 20 USC. Sophomore guard Gordo Castillo paced NMSU with a career-high four steals at USC while freshman guard Hernst Laroche and junior guard Jonathan Gibson both had three steals against UC Riverside.
In Denial
NMSU blocked a season-high 10 shots against Pepperdine. Freshman forward Troy Gillenwater blocked six shots.
Season Openers
For only the second time in five years, the Aggies opened the season in Las Cruces. NMSU defeated UC Riverside, 79-52, Nov. 15. The win was the largest margin of victory in a season opener since a 106-70 win over Simon Fraser, in the 1997-98 season opener.
WAC Predictions
In the WAC Preseason Polls, the Aggies were voted to finish third in the conference by both the coaches and media. The coaches picked Nevada to take first with Utah State, NMSU, San Jose State, Boise State, Louisiana Tech, Fresno State and Idaho to follow. The media also selected Nevada, Utah State and NMSU to the top three spots while Louisiana Tech, Boise State, San Jose State, Fresno State, Hawai’i and Idaho rounded out the poll. The coaches voted junior guard Jonathan Gibson to the preseason first team while sophomore guard Jahmar Young was a second team selection. Gibson was also a media pick for the preseason all-conference team.
Aggie Agenda
The Aggie schedule this year includes a strong non-conference slate with marquee games at Kansas, the 2008 NCAA National Champions, and Southern California. NMSU plays 16 games in the Pan American Center and the schedule is highlighted with seven teams that played in the 2008 postseason. NMSU also hosts its third consecutive ESPNU BracketBuster game.
Looking Ahead
The Aggies return home to host Nevada, Thursday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m., and Utah State, Saturday, Jan. 10, at 7 p.m.
Courtesy: Tim Barnett-Queen
