ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — New Mexico had six players score in double figures as it snapped No. 16 Utah State's 15-game win streak with a 99-86 victory inside The Pit Tuesday night.
Utah State (16-2, 4-1 MW) got the Lobos lead down to seven points in the second half, but New Mexico (15-3, 3-2 MW) pulled away for its second home win over a ranked opponent in a row.
Senior guard Ian Martinez paced the Aggies with 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Redshirt freshman guard Mason Falslev tied his career high with 19 points and added nine rebounds, while junior wing Great Osobor totaled 15 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Josh Uduje added 13 points and graduate guard Darius Brown II finished with 11 points and five assists.
New Mexico scored the first five points of the game before Falslev boosted the Aggies to a 6-5 lead scoring six points in three possessions. From there, New Mexico utilized turnovers to build a 15-point lead, 40-25, after 13 minutes of play. USU scored 15 points at the charity stripe shooting 83.3 percent (15-of-18) to stay competitive in the first half. The Aggies cut the Lobos lead to 11 twice before halftime, but UNM bounced back each time and took a 55-39 advantage to the locker room.
Following the break, the Lobos extended their lead to 20, 64-44, before Utah State launched a 7-0 run, including USU's first made 3-pointer of the game by Martinez, cutting the UNM lead to 64-51 just under five minutes into the second half. After a quick 7-3 spurt from New Mexico, the Aggies continued to trim the Lobo advantage with an 8-0 run produced by Martinez entirely. That surge got USU within 10 points for the first time in the second half.
In the final 12 minutes, Utah State would get as close as seven points, 79-72, after a Falslev layup with just over nine minutes remaining. However, New Mexico always had an answer with 3-pointers and dunks to seal a 99-86 victory — the first Lobo win over USU since 2020.
The Aggies shot 44.1 percent (30-of-68) from the field, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from downtown and 73.3 percent (22-of-30) at the free-throw line.
New Mexico was led by senior center Nelly Junior Joseph who logged 26 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in the win. The Lobos shot 57.4 percent (39-of-68) from the field, 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from deep and 94.1 percent (16-of-17) at the charity stripe.
Utah State returns home on Saturday, Jan. 20, to face Fresno State at 2 p.m. (MT) inside of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The game will be televised on KMYU and streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 men's basketball season are already on sale and can be purchased by visiting www.utahstateaggies.com or by calling the Utah State ticket office at 1-888-USTATE-1.
Utah State men's basketball news and information is available on Facebook (facebook.com/usumensbasketball), on Twitter (@usubasketball) and on Instagram (@usubasketball). Fans can also get USU men's basketball highlights on YouTube (youtube.com/utahstateathletics). Aggie fans can follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter (@usuathletics), on Facebook (facebook.com/usuathletics) or on Instagram (@usuathletics).
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