Big West Roundup : New Mexico St. Beats UC Irvine, 90-69

UC Irvine’s basketball team, always the perfect guest, kept the game entertaining for the first 30 minutes Thursday night before politely stepping aside while the hosts rolled to a 90-69 victory in a Big West Conference game at Las Cruces, N.M.

Irvine, 1-7 on the road this season, was within 10 points of New Mexico State with less than 11 minutes to play, then fell apart before a crowd of 5,518 at the Pan Am Center. New Mexico State (12-6) improved its Big West record to 5-3. Irvine dropped to 6-10 and 3-4.

The Aggies made 8 of their first 11 shots and finished with a 57% mark. They also outrebounded the Anteaters, 41-25. Center James Anderson and forwards Johnny Roberson and Willie Joseph did just about whatever they pleased underneath the basket all night.

Roberson was 9 of 15 from the field and finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Anderson was 7 of 9 with 17 points and 4 rebounds. And Joseph, one of the Aggies injured when a team van was involved in a collision in the fog in Fresno earlier this month, was 7 of 13, scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Only Jeff Herdman, who made 6 of 8 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points, shot well from outside for Irvine. The Anteaters’ other perimeter players were a combined 9 of 30 from the field.

Irvine’s leading scorer--guard Rod Palmer--made just 2 of 10 3-point attempts and had 10 points.

Fresno State 69, Pacific 52--Jervis Cole scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs past the Tigers at Fresno.

Derrick Barden and Kevin Stevenson both added 14 points for Fresno (9-8 overall, 4-4 in the conference).

Daryl Wolfe led UOP (5-11, 1-7).