National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New Mexico St. 70, Cal. State - Bakersfield 60
When: 11:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 11, 2017
Where: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Officials: # Mike Reed, # Chris Rastatter, # Winston Smith
Attendance: 2444
Where: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Officials: # Mike Reed, # Chris Rastatter, # Winston Smith
Attendance: 2444
New Mexico State used a 21-1 run in the second half to wipe out a 13-point deficit and topple top-seeded Cal State-Bakersfield 70-60 on Saturday night for the Western Athletic Conference tournament title at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Eli Chuha paced the second-seeded Aggies (28-5) with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Ian Baker added 15 points – all in the second half. New Mexico State shot 56 from the field in the second half and committed just two turnovers in the last 15 minutes.
Dedrick Basile's 17 points led the Roadrunners (22-9), who will settle for an NIT bid after winning the regular-season title. Jaylin Airington added 12 points and Brent Wrapp supplied 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
New Mexico State clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament with the win. It's expected to be a 14 or 15 seed.
Top Game Performances
| New Mexico St. | Cal. State - Bakersfield | |
| Eli Chuha 16 | Scoring | Dedrick Basile 17 |
| Ian Baker 6 | Assists | Brent Wrapp 7 |
| Eli Chuha 11 | Rebounds | Brent Wrapp 9 |
| Eli Chuha 8 | Free Throws Made | Dedrick Basile 4 |
| Jemerrio Jones 2 | Steals | Brent Wrapp 3 |
| Jemerrio Jones 2 | Blocks | Moataz Aly 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
| New Mexico St. | 70 | 46.2 | 6-16 | 28-39 | 12 | 33 | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Cal. State - Bakersfield | 60 | 41.1 | 4-14 | 10-15 | 10 | 30 | 3 | 10 | 15 |