Jones’ 24 lead New Mexico State past Western Kentucky 80-64

By Canadian Press on January 8, 2026.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Jemel Jones scored 24 points as New Mexico State beat Western Kentucky 80-64 on Thursday.

Jones shot 5 of 15 from the field, including 3 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 11 for 12 from the line for the Aggies (9-5, 2-2 Conference USA). Elijah Elliott shot 2 for 9 (2 for 5 from 3-point range) and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line to add 12 points. Jayland Randall went 4 of 7 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 12 points. Julius Mims had a game-high 15 rebounds and eight points.

The Hilltoppers (9-6, 2-2) were led in scoring by Armelo Boone, who finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Jack Edelen added nine points.

New Mexico State took the lead for good 13 seconds into the first half. The score was 46-28 at halftime, with Jones racking up 13 points. New Mexico State extended its lead to 64-47 during the second half, fueled by a 7-0 scoring run. Jones scored a team-high 11 points in the second half.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press

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