ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico State Men's Basketball team opened up Conference USA play with a 75-71 win over Sam Houston on Thursday. The Aggies led at the break 38-30 at the Pan Am, but the 2nd half would get a little interesting. Sports Desk: UNM MBB gears up for The Pit’s 1,000th game Sam Houston locked down on defense and started to get some point production in the 2nd half. The Bearkats led with under 5-minutes to play in the game, but the Aggies would close out strong to win. Christian Cook led all scorers and put up 25-points for the Aggies in the win. Now 1-0 in conference play and 8-6 overall on the season, NMSU moves on to play at Louisiana Tech on Saturday at 2pm.