Long Beach Foiled by New Mexico State

Long Beach State missed a chance to clinch at least a share of the Big West Conference championship on Thursday night, losing for the second time to New Mexico State, 73-69, before 6,316 at the Pan American Center.

Long Beach, 17-8 overall and 13-4 in the Big West, dropped into a first-place tie with Utah State with one conference game remaining for each. Long Beach will clinch a share of its first conference title since the 1976-77 season if it defeats Nevada Las Vegas at Las Vegas on Saturday.

Rasul Salahuddin’s desperation three-pointer to tie the score with about four seconds to play hit the side of the backboard, sealing the victory for third-place New Mexico State (21-8, 12-5). The Aggies, who got 18 points from Troy Brewer, also defeated Long Beach, 98-78, Jan. 5 at the Pyramid.

Terrance O’Kelley led the 49ers with 16 points and Eric Brown had 11. Brown made three of four three-point shots and Long Beach made 11 of 22 overall.

Brewer started in place of senior point guard Keith Johnson, who was dismissed by the Aggies Wednesday for the remainder of the season because of an unspecified violation of athletic-department policy.

The 49ers trailed, 69-60, with with 6 minutes 31 seconds to play when Brewer made a three-point shot. But Long Beach rallied with clutch three-point shooting and missed free throws by the Aggies.

A three-point basket by Brown cut the Aggies’ lead to 71-69 with 3:13 to play. Thomas Wyatt then missed two free throws with 1:14 to play and Long Beach had a chance to take the lead.

But Juaquin Hawkins lost the ball to Wyatt on the baseline with 44 seconds left. Terrance O’Kelley fouled Crafton Ferguson with 12.2 seconds remaining and Ferguson made one of two free throws to give the Aggies a 72-69 lead.