New Mexico State wins 13th straight, cruises to WAC bid

New Mexico State men’s basketball coach Marvin Menzies said his team would only go as far as its seniors carried it.

The Aggies’ veterans carried them all the way to the NCAA Tournament.

New Mexico State’s four seniors combined for 55 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists Saturday, and the top-seeded Aggies rolled to an 80-61 victory over No. 3 Seattle in the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference tournament before 1,763 fans at Orleans Arena.

It is the fourth straight title for New Mexico State (23-10), which will enter the NCAA tourney on a 13-game winning streak.

“This win has nothing to do with coaching and everything to do with the chemistry, character and experience of my four seniors,” said Menzies, who is in his eighth year with the Aggies.

Remi Barry finished with 21 points and made four 3-pointers, and tournament Most Valuable Player Tshilidzi Nephawe added 18 points and 10 rebounds despite facing constant double teams on the block.

Fellow seniors Daniel Mullings and D.K Eldridge chipped in with eight points apiece. Mullings added seven assists as the Aggies had 18 assists on 21 made baskets.

New Mexico State shot 52.5 percent from the field (21-for-40) and went 8-for-15 from 3-point range against the Redhawks’ zone defense.

Seattle, which was looking for its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1969 when the program was still known as the Chieftains, cut the Aggies’ lead to 56-44 on a jumper by Jadon Cohee with 7:07 left in the second half.

But New Mexico State responded with a 16-6 spurt, highlighted by a steal and dunk by Mullings with 4:34 remaining to put the Aggies up 67-48.

Cohee led the Redhawks (16-14) with 16 points, and William Powell had 14 points. Isiah Umipig, who scored 30 points and tied the tournament record with eight 3-pointers in a semifinal victory over Missouri-Kansas City, finished with 12 points, the majority of which came after the outcome had been decided.

New Mexico State made seven of its first 10 shots and jumped out to a 20-7 lead. Barry ended the half with nine points on three 3-pointers to help the Aggies snag a 33-22 lead at halftime.

In the women’s title game, Sasha Weber had 15 of her 20 points in the first half as top-seeded New Mexico State (22-7) routed Texas-Pan American 70-52 to earn its first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 1988.

Brianna Freeman added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Shanice Davis had 14 points for the Aggies, who took control with a 17-2 first-half run and limited UTPA (19-14) to 23.9 percent shooting from the floor.

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.