New Mexico State 77, Fresno State 67
Box Score
N.M.?New Mexico State men’s basketball senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins had a game-high 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Aggies a 77-67 win over Fresno State, Saturday, Jan. 5 in Las Cruces.
In NMSU’s WAC home opener, sophomore guard Jonathan Gibson added 17 points while senior guard Fred Peete recorded 10 points en route to the Aggies snapping a three-game losing streak to Fresno State.
For the Bulldogs, senior guards Kevin Bell scored 19 points and Eddie Miller provided 11 points.
The Aggies had a season-high performance at the 3-point line after shooting 47.6 percent from beyond the line. Gibson had a game-high four 3-pointers with all of those in the second half. NMSU also had a huge rebounding advantage, 49-34, in the game with freshman forward Wendell McKines pulling down 12 rebounds.
At the break, NMSU posted a 38-28 lead, and freshman guard Gordo Castillo was a spark off the bench as he contributed eight points.
The Aggies hit the road next week and meet Boise State, Jan. 10, and Utah State, Jan. 12.
Hawai?i 85, San Jose State 79
Box Score
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The University of Hawai`i men's basketball team handed first-year head coach Bob Nash his first Western Athletic Conference victory and picked up its first road win of the year by holding off San Jose State, 85-79, Saturday night at The Event Center.
Hawai`i led by double-digits for much of the game and held off a late Spartan rally to improve to 5-9 overall and 1-1 in the WAC. San Jose State dropped to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in the WAC.
UH continued it dominance over San Jose State with its 10th straight win over the Spartans and fifth straight in San Jose. Hawai`i has not lost to the Spartans since 2003.
Matt Gibson led UH with 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds before fouling out in the waning minutes. Bobby Nash and Riley Luettgerodt each poured in 14 points, while Jared Dillinger added 13.
UH's win offset a stellar performance by San Jose State's freshman guard Justin Graham who finished with a game-high 29 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field and 14-of-17 shooting from the line.
Hawai`i nailed seven of its first eight shots to claim a lead they would not relinquish. The Rainbow Warriors, who shot 57 percent in the first half, built its lead to as many as 16 points before taking a 43-29 lead at the break.
UH enjoyed its biggest lead of the game when a Nash three-pointer made it 50-33 at the 17:33. The 'Bows continued to maintain a comfortable cushion, leading by 13 points with 2:43 remaining, before the Spartans made one final push.
San Jose State, who made 43 trips to the free throw line, scored 12 of its final 16 points from the charity stripe and got within five points with 33 seconds left. But that would be as close as it would get. UH sealed its first road win in four tries this year by shooting 52 percent from the floor and posting a season-high 85 points.
Hawai`i returns home where they will play three straight WAC games, beginning with a showdown with Nevada on Saturday, Jan. 12. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Boise State 95, Idaho 84
Box Score
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) -Matt Nelson and Reggie Larry scored 25 points each Saturday as they led Boise State to a 95-84 win over Idaho.
The victory extends the Broncos' winning streak over the Vandals to 13 straight games.
Paul Noonan added 12 points for BSU (11-3, 2-0 Western Athletic Conference).
The Vandals (3-10, 0-2) were led by Jordan Brooks, who scored 22 points. Mike Hall added 20 for UI.
Idaho tied the game at 56-56 with 18:25 left in the second half following a pair of Mike Hall free throws that came as a result of a technical foul by Larry. The Vandals then took the lead on a Brooks basket, 58-56, with 17:58 left.
But that was it for UI. The Broncos went on a 15-2 run that featured three Larry 3-pointers that built the BSU lead to 73-60.
The Broncos started out on a torrid pace from the field, completing the first half with a shooting percentage of 63.6 percent (21-for-33). They finished the game shooting 61.7 percent.
The Vandals hit 58.6 percent of their first-half attempts (17-for-29), but fell off in the second half as they went just 9-for-28 from the floor.
BSU started to pull away at the end of the first half, building a 48-41 lead on the heels of an 8-2 run with just under three minutes left. Brandon Brown kept Idaho close by scoring six of his nine first-half points during the final 2:17 before halftime to bring Idaho within five, 54-49, to start the second half.