New Mexico State’s Hot Half Is Too Much for Anteaters

New Mexico State made 10 of 17 three-point shots in the first half to take command, then held on at the finish to upset Big West Conference leader UC Irvine, 83-77, Saturday night in front of 7,542 in the Pan American Center.

“We didn’t guard well enough in the first half,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said. “They had too many wide-open shots. They had 10 threes in the first half, and they were all open.”

Despite that, the Anteaters fought back from a 44-28 halftime deficit and trailed by only three points, 80-77, after Paul Foster made two free throws with 43 seconds left. Six seconds later, the Aggies’ William Johnson was fouled, and made one of two free throws to push the lead to four points.

Irvine guard Brian Keefe, who had a career-high 32 points, missed a three-point shot with 24 seconds left. Baker thought the shot might have been a little hurried. “I thought it was going to be in,” Keefe said. “It just went out.”

Aaron Brodt grabbed the rebound, and was fouled soon afterward. He missed both free throws, giving the Anteaters another chance, but they lost the ball on a steal, and Johnson scored on a fast break with 12 seconds left.

Irvine’s loss, paired with Long Beach State’s victory at Utah State, left the Anteaters in first place only by percentage points. Irvine is 13-8, 9-4 in the Big West, Long Beach State is 10-5. New Mexico State is 9-14, 6-9.

The game was a three-point shooting contest much of the time, especially in the first half. Irvine ended up with a school-record 16 in 35 attempts (.457) with Keefe making seven of 16 and reserve freshman guard Clay McKnight sinking seven of 10 from beyond the arc. McKnight’s 23 points also were his season high.

But the Anteaters had trouble getting shots inside against the Aggies’ aggressive matchup zone early, and when they did, they rarely fell in. All nine Irvine field goals in the first half were from beyond the three-point arc. The Anteaters missed 10 other first-half shots from closer range. Forward Kevin Simmons went 0 for 12 from the field, finishing with three points.

“It’s tough to find pick-and-roll opportunities against that defense,” Baker said. “You’ve got to swing the ball from side to side. It’s not something you can do from the middle of the floor.”

Baker said that cut down on the playmaking effectiveness of point guard Raimonds Miglinieks. Miglinieks scored 10 points, and had seven assists to become the school’s all-time assists leader.

“We didn’t play with enough intensity on defense in the first half,” Miglinieks said. “It’s hard to say why. I guess I can only say for myself, but I tried my best.”

New Mexico State shot 42%, finishing above 40% for the first time in seven games. The Aggies were only one for nine from three-point range in the second half.

Irvine didn’t score on anything other than a three-point shot in the first half until Simmons made one of two free throws with 45 seconds left. New Mexico State led by 19 points several times early in the second half, before Irvine closed at the finish.

“We’ve beaten Irvine and Long Beach State, the two leaders, this season, as well as Santa Barbara, but we can’t seem to beat the teams down by us,” Aggie Coach Neil McCarthy said.