Long Beach Is Routed, 104-91

William Benjamin scored 18 points and New Mexico State scored 63 in the first half en route to a 104-91 Big West victory over Long Beach State on Saturday.

A 25-4 New Mexico State run midway through the first half, sparked by Rick Fluckey’s two 3-pointers, gave the Aggies a 40-18 lead. The 49ers went scoreless for 4:49 during the run and Long Beach State coach Joe Harrington was called for two technicals.

The Aggies (18-2, 9-1) avenged a 72-56 loss to the 49ers on Jan. 15 and moved back into a first-place tie with No. 12 UNLV. Long Beach State dropped to 13-6, 6-5.

Benjamin’s two free throws with 2:50 left before halftime gave the Aggies a 56-26 lead, their biggest of the game.

New Mexico State shot 65 percent in the first half and held Long Beach State to 43 percent shooting to lead 63-39 at halftime.

The 49ers cut the score to 99-89 on Darrell Faulkner’s 3-pointer with 41 seconds left as the Aggies shot poorly from the free-throw line late in the second half.