Here's what happened in the New Mexico State vs. Middle Tennessee basketball game
New Mexico State basketball (9-6, 2-3 Conference USA) hosted Middle Tennessee (10-6, 4-1) on Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces. The game was nationally televised on ESPNU.
The Aggies couldn't maintain their unbeaten home record this season, which they extended to 7-0 after an 80-64 victory against Western Kentucky on Thursday. The Blue Raiders bounced back after they were upset 83-80 by UTEP in overtime on Thursday on the road.
MORE GAME INFORMATION: Time, channel, what to know for national TV NMSU-MTSU basketball game
MORE: NMSU announces new fund to be 'cornerstone' of support for athletics
NM State wore throwback uniforms as part of its annual Lou Henson Classic game. Aggies coach Jason Hooten also wore a crimson suit to honor Henson, the College Basketball Hall of Fame coach.
MTSU has now won its last two trips to Las Cruces.
Here's how the game went:
New Mexico State vs. Middle Tennessee basketball live updates
Final:The Blue Raiders defeat the Aggies 59-55. Aggies guard Jayland Randall had a chance to tie the game at 58-58 in the final seconds, but missed a 3-point shot. The Blue Raiders hit one more free throw to seal their victory.
MTSU 58, NM State 54 (2:55 2nd):NM State has gone on a 9-3 run over the last several minutes to get itself within striking distance as time winds down. Randall hit a key 3-pointer to send the home crowd to its feet. Now, the home team needs to keep rallying.
MTSU 55, NM State 45 (8:14 2nd):A dunk from Aggies center Cyr Malonga and a layup from guard Jemel Jones got the Pan American Center crowd to be the loudest it's been in the second half. There's still room for improvement for the Aggies in the second half, though, as they're just 30.8% from the field after halftime.
MTSU 51, NM State 38 (10:04 2nd):MTSU's Tory Alston throwing down a hard alley-oop dunk from Jahvin Carter sums up how this half is going for both teams. The visitors have all of the momentum, and NM State can't find a way to cope. The home team has made just one shot in nearly 10 minutes of play in the second half.
MTSU 46, NM State 38 (11:22 2nd):The Aggies have gone ice cold since the start of the second half, having only made one shot in nine attempts. They have no field goals in the last 5:36 of play and continue to cede more and more control of the game to the Blue Raiders.
MTSU 41, NM State 35 (15:34 2nd):MTSU took its first lead since the first possession of the game to start the second half, and has remained in control since. NM State is 1-for-5 from the field in the second half compared to 4-for-7 for its opponents.
Halftime:The Blue Raiders and Aggies are tied at 29-29.
MTSU 26, NM State 29 (1:44 1st):NM State has hit a cold spell, having missed eight of its last 10 shots after going 9-for-14 to start the game.
MTSU 24, NM State 27 (3:41 1st):The Blue Raiders completed a 20-5 run to tie the game at 24-24, but Aggies guard Anthony Wrzeszcz hits a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner to put the home team back in front. Still, this has now gone from an NM State romp to a close game over the last few minutes.
MTSU 14, NM State 22 (7:34 1st):MTSU is getting back into the game with a small 10-3 run to cut its deficit. NM State hasn't scored in just over two minutes of play.
MTSU 4, NM State 19 (11:06 1st):The Blue Raiders have missed 11 shots in a row across a span of just over eight minutes, and find themselves trailing big as a result. NM State is 8-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. MTSU is without a 3-point shot in six attempts.
MTSU 2, NM State 13 (14:33 1st):MTSU scored the first basket, but NM State has scored 13 unanswered since. The Blue Raiders have missed their last five shots since scoring first. Jones has started fast with seven of his team's first 13 points.
Pregame:The Aggies and Blue Raiders have revealed their starters.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Here's what happened: Middle Tennessee-New Mexico State basketball
