Aggie women win in OT; men fall in WAC road games

NM State basketball had mixed results on the road Wednesday, Jan. 4.

In Orem, Utah, the Aggie women defeated Utah Valley 63-57 in overtime, improving their Western Athletic Conference record to 2-1.

In Nacogdoches, Texas, the Aggie men lost 69-60 to Stephen F. Austin, dropping NM State to 0-3 in WAC play.

Both the men’s and women’s teams now have 7-8 overall records, and return home for games Saturday, Jan. 7, at the Pan Am. The women host Tarleton in a 4 p.m. game Saturday. The men follow with a 7 p.m. tip-off against California Baptist.

After climbing back in the second half in Wednesday’s game, the Aggie men were unable to reach the top of the hill.
 I told the guys, I'm not disappointed with our effort, we just have to compete smarter as a group," said Head Coach Greg Heiar following the game. "They got some timely offensive rebounds in the final 10 minutes of the game that really hurt us and they made us pay.
 "Nobody in that locker room has given up and no one in that locker room is going to give up."
 
Leading the charge for the Aggie men with 20 points was senior guard Xavier Pinson who turned in 14 second-half points while adding a team-high seven assists. Marchelus Avery also submitted a solid stat line as he posted his second double-double of the season – finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
 
As a team, the Aggies failed to eclipse 40 percent shooting for the fourth time this season as they combined to go 23-59 from the field.

The Aggie women benefited from a career night from Tayelin Grays against Utah Valley.
Grays led the team in scoring after she matched her career high in points with 18 on 6-13 shooting, including two made threes. She also reached the 500 mark for points in a career after only needing 14 points coming into the game. Taylor Donaldson also had a career night setting high in rebounds (9) and tying a career high in assists (7), which she set at Portland State earlier this season.