The New Mexico State men’s basketball team defeated the University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos on Thursday to claim its second consecutive WAC regular-season title. The Aggies defeated UMKC by a final score of 75-55. The Aggies also defeated the Chicago State Cougars on Saturday for their fifteenth consecutive victory.
On Thursday, the Aggies were eager to seal their spot as the top team in the Western Athletic Conference. New Mexico State got off to a little bit of a shaky start by allowing the Kangaroos to jump out to a quick 5-0 lead.
The Aggies then went on a run of their own by scoring the next seven points. After a little back-and-fourth action, the Aggies locked down on the defensive end and went on a 14-0 run to take a 23-11 advantage over the Kangaroos. New Mexico State kept up the pressure as they had the WAC regular-season title in their sights. The Aggies would go into the halftime break with an 18-point advantage.
The second half of the game was much like the first half, with the Aggies dominating on the defensive side of the ball. New Mexico State did have a few sloppy turnovers early on in the second half, but the Kangaroos couldn’t capitalize and catch up to the Aggies. New Mexico State was too much for UMKC and the Aggies were able to dominate the Kangaroos to claim the WAC regular-season title by a final score of 75-55.
On Saturday, the New Mexico State Aggies traveled to Chicago to take on the Chicago State Cougars. The Aggies jumped out to a 17-0 lead. The NMSU defense was brutal as Chicago State didn’t score until nearly 7 minutes into the game. The Aggies dominated the first half and went into the halftime break leading the Cougars 43-15.
The second half was a little bit more competitive than the first half. When the final buzzer sounded, the Aggies claimed their fifteenth straight victory by a score of 92-58. Ivan Aurrecoechea, who finished the game with 17 points, led the Aggies in scoring. The top rebounders for the Aggies were C.J. Bobbitt and Mohamed Thiam, who finished the game with seven boards apiece.
The New Mexico State Aggies conclude their regular season on Saturday, March 9, when they will be back inside the Pan American Center to host the California Baptist Lancers. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
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