LAS VEGAS — Sim Bhullar had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead New Mexico State to a 64-55 victory over UT Arlington on Saturday night for its second straight Western Athletic Conference championship.
Holding a 32-30 lead at halftime, New Mexico State (24-10) used a 19-8 run to open its biggest lead of the game, going up 51-38 with 11:27 left in the game.The Aggies earned an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament by staving off a furious rally by the Mavericks, who used Kevin Butler's 3-pointer from the top of the key with 10:17 left to key a 15-5 run and pull within three points with 1:55 left in the game.But Terrel de Rouen's soft jumper just outside the key with 1:17 remaining halted UT Arlington's surge and shifted the momentum back toward the Aggies, who closed the game on an 8-2 run to seal the win.Daniel Mullings added 16 points and six rebounds for the third-seeded Aggies, while Bandja Sy contributed with 10 points and six boards.Butler led the fourth-seed Mavericks (19-13) with 13 points and 10 rebounds.More information
New Mexico St. 64, UT Arlington 55
UT ARLINGTON (19-13): White-Miller 2-6 0-0 4, Butler 5-17 1-3 13, Catlett 1-5 0-0 2, Gruszecki 5-7 0-0 11, Reves 4-8 2-2 10, Outler 1-4 0-0 2, Charles 0-2 0-0 0, Gainey 0-2 5-6 5, Edwards 4-5 0-0 8. Totals 22-56 8-11 55.
NEW MEXICO ST. (24-10): Bhullar 6-8 4-8 16, Sy 3-9 1-2 10, Ross-Miller 3-6 3-4 9, Mullings 5-11 6-6 16, Dixon 1-3 0-0 3, Barry 1-6 2-5 4, Aronis 0-1 0-0 0, de Rouen 1-3 4-8 6. Totals 20-47 20-33 64.
Halftime—New Mexico St. 32-30. 3-Point Goals—UT Arlington 3-13 (Butler 2-8, Gruszecki 1-2, Outler 0-1, White-Miller 0-2), New Mexico St. 4-13 (Sy 3-4, Dixon 1-1, de Rouen 0-1, Aronis 0-1, Mullings 0-2, Ross-Miller 0-2, Barry 0-2). Fouled Out—Catlett, Gruszecki, Ross-Miller. Rebounds—UT Arlington 29 (Butler 10), New Mexico St. 41 (Bhullar 15). Assists—UT Arlington 10 (Gruszecki, White-Miller 3), New Mexico St. 5 (Mullings 3). Total Fouls—UT Arlington 25, New Mexico St. 15. A—1,142.
Time to blow the whistle on college basketball.
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