It’s non-conference action on the college hardwood when the WAC locks up with Conference USA down in the Lone Star State. The New Mexico State Aggies are on the road as they travel to face the UTEP Miners Tuesday night. New Mexico State comes in off a 92-46 whipping of Western New Mexico at home in their previous game last Tuesday. UTEP knocked off New Mexico Highlands 93-70 at home in their season opener last Tuesday. The Aggies lead the all-time series between the teams 74-70 and have won the last nine meetings, including a 62-58 road victory in the last meeting on November 28, 2018.
UTEP Miners Try to Improve to 2-0
New Mexico State had little trouble dispatching Western New Mexico in their season opener at home. The Aggies now look to beat UTEP for the tenth straight time and improve to 2-0 on the season. New Mexico State led 16-0 just over five minutes into the game and the rout was on. The Aggies were up 29-3 midway through the first half and held a 52-16 edge at the half. New Mexico State led by as many as 52 in the second half before settling in and easing off the gas in the final minutes. The Aggies made life miserable for Western New Mexico from beginning to end.🔥 VISUAL RECAP 🔥
— NM State MBB (@NMStateMBB) November 9, 2019
Game 1. Business handled.#AggieUp pic.twitter.com/fRIqcXHN3z
The Aggies shot 54.5 percent from the field, including hitting nine of 25 from beyond the arc, and knocked down 23 of 28 free throw attempts. New Mexico State controlled the glass by a 40-18 margin and forced 14 turnovers in the contest. Jabari Rice led the Aggies with 21 points off the bench in the game. Trevelin Queen added 14 points, William McNair added 11 points plus seven rebounds while Shawn Williams and Ivan Aurrecochea each had 10 points in the contest. All told, 10 players took the floor for New Mexico State and all of them scored in the victory.
UTEP Miners Try to Improve to 2-0
UTEP took care of business against an overmatched New Mexico Highlands squad to open the season on a positive note. The Miners now try to improve to 2-0 as they take the floor at home once again in this contest. UTEP trailed 8-7 six minutes into the game before ripping off an 18-0 run to take control of the game. The Miners led by 20 at the half and withstood a cold spell in the second half that saw the Cowboys close to within nine with just over eight minutes to play in the game. UTEP regrouped and put the game away after that as they pulled away down the stretch.About last night. 🏀⛏
— UTEP Men’s Basketball (@UTEP_MBB) November 7, 2019
Miners opened the new campaign with a DUB #DefendTheDON pic.twitter.com/YkALvcXHFV
The Miners shot 56.4 percent from the field, including six of 14 from three-point range, and drained 25 of 32 free throws in the contest. UTEP controlled the glass 42-28 and held New Mexico Highlands to 36.2 percent from the field. Both teams turned the ball over 20 times in the contest. Efe Odigie led the Miners with 20 points and six rebounds in the contest. Daryl Edwards and Bryson Williams each had 17 points in the win while Souley Boum added 15. Eric Vila contributed 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the victory.
Team Trends
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The top trends for this contest according to Covers.com:
- Aggies are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games
- Aggies are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Tuesday games
- Aggies are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600
- Miners are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record
- Miners are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall
- Miners are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. Western Athletic Conference teams
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