Second Half Swoon Costs Utah State In Loss To New Mexico
Feb 1, 2025, 10:06 PM | Updated: Feb 3, 2025, 1:08 pm
LOGAN, Utah – A night of Spectrum Magic took on a distinct muggle form as the Utah State Aggies went cold in the second half, falling 81-63 to the New Mexico Lobos. New Mexico takes sole possession of first place in the Mountain West with the win.
The Aggies (19-3, 9-2) hosted New Mexico (18-4, 10-1) on Saturday, February 1, at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
The Aggies get a chance at a rematch when they travel to The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday, February 16, for a rematch.
RELATED: Aggies Avoid Letdown With Confident Win Over UNLV
FINAL
UNM – 82
USU – 63— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2025
Utah State’s fifth home loss in the last three seasons is easily attributed to shots not falling. All night long, the Aggies struggled to knock down open looks. When the Lobos’ defense cracked down in the second half, USU wilted under the pressure.
New Mexico’s Mustapha Amzil led all scorers with 16 points, missing three shots all night. Five Lobos scored in double-figures. Nelly Jr. Joseph was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field for 15 points.
Drake Allen led the Aggies with 14 points. Utah State was an abysmal 5-of-31 (16.1 percent) from deep and 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from the free throw line.
First Half
Utah State opened the night with a Deyton Albury to Aubin Gateretse alley-oop, igniting the Spectrum crowd immediately.
Death, taxes, and lobs to Aubin 😤@Aubinoooo pic.twitter.com/QSw5sSSycT
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2025
New Mexico committed three turnovers and missed five of eight shots but only trailed 10-7 at the first media timeout. The Aggies opened the night 4-of-14 from the field and 1-of-8 from deep.
Drake Allen is 𝓼𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓽𝓱 pic.twitter.com/VuVIhHDiHy
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2025
A catch-and-shoot three from Drake Allen gave USU a 15-11 lead. New Mexico immediately answered with a 6-0 run to grab the lead.
Albury ended the run, splitting the Lobo defense before finishing an old-fashioned three-point play to take an 18-17 lead.
The Aggies suffered a blow moments later when Tucker Anderson appeared to be injured. Anderson was helped off the floor, with Utah State leading by one and 7:35 left. He did not return.
Later in the half, Karson Templin made an incredible defensive play to block a shot backside, creating a runout opportunity for the Aggies. USU couldn’t convert the chance when Ian Martinez missed consecutive free throws.
RELATED: Three-Point Shooting Leads Utah State Past Air Force
KT said 𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗘 ❌@karsontemplin pic.twitter.com/73S1ivgbcV
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2025
Utah State built momentum with a 6-0 run, capped off by a three from Dexter Akanno. USU led 30-23 with 3:36 left in the half.
Akanno knocked down a second triple out of the timeout to make it a nine-point game.
The Aggies took a 36-30 lead into the break.
Buckle up for some Second Half Spectrum Magic🔥 pic.twitter.com/L9fMAe7q6W
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2025
Drake Allen scored nine points, knocking down two threes to lead all scorers. Akanno added eight. Donovan Dent and CJ Noland led New Mexico with six points each.
Both teams struggled at the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes. The Lobos went 7-of-13. Utah State finished 6-of-12 from the line.
Second Half
Both programs went back and forth to open the second half. Utah State held a 44-39 lead with 16:29 to play.
Blink and you'll miss him! pic.twitter.com/h5K8L2B8tT
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) February 2, 2025
Trailing 48-39, New Mexico pieced together a 10-0 run to retake the lead with 12:49 left.
The Lobos extended their lead to nine with 7:31 left when Mustapha Amzil hit a corner three.
Akanno limped off the floor and went straight to the locker room after committing a shooting foul on Amzil moments later. Amzil hit two of three from the line to give the Lobos a 65-54 lead.
The Aggies are shooting terribly tonight. 5-26 (19%) from 3-point range, 9-19 (47.4%) from the free throw line. The result? Down 12 with 3:17 to play.#AggiesAllTheWay @KSLSports
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) February 2, 2025
New Mexico pulled away for the 82-63 win.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on Twitter and Instagram at @bpreece24.
