SOUTHLAND

New Mexico State 66, UC Irvine 59--It was an improvement for the Anteaters . . . and it was another loss, their third straight in Big West Conference play.

A 10-2 Aggie run broke a 50-50 tie and left Irvine scrambling in the last five minutes Saturday. The Aggies (13-5, 4-2) made six consecutive free throws, four by Eric Channing, in the last minute to hold on in front of 7,120 in the Pan American Center at Las Cruces, N.M.

The Aggies, a 63% free-throw shooting team, made 23 of 28 from the line.

Irvine (8-9, 1-5) was coming off two dismal performances, a 12-point loss to Cal State Fullerton and a one-point loss to Boise State, a game in which the Anteaters blew a 17-point lead.