Aggies complete season sweep of Bakersfield

By: Anthony Esparza

Defense was the key in the New Mexico State men’s basketball team’s 78-57 victory over Cal-State Bakersfield Wednesday at the Pan Am Center.

Despite escaping with a win in the first meeting against the Roadrunners on Jan. 2, the Aggies were outplayed for much of the night. That was not the case on Wednesday night, as solid defense and efficient shooting propelled the Aggies to complete the season sweep against CSBU.

“We held a very good three-point shooting team to 17 percent in the game, which is really the story of the game,” NMSU coach Marvin Menzies said. This team can shoot the ball. They had us beat at their place, and we know what we had in front of us.”

The Aggies also kept the Roadrunners off the free-throw line, something they did not do in the first meeting. CSBU only shot nine free-throws on Wednesday, 17 fewer attempts than in the game in Bakersfield last month.

“We felt like we needed to play aggressively without fouling,” Menzies said. “We tried to play really aggressive with our hands and try to get deflections. It’s a good barometer for how you’re playing defense when you can get deflections.”

It was a milestone night for senior forward Wendell McKines, who fished with a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. In the second half, McKines became only the second player in Aggie history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

“It’s an honor. It’s something that I’m going to take with me for the rest of my life,” McKines said of the accomplishment. “I think I’ll be able to explain it later on, but right now I’m just living in the moment and enjoying this ride.”

McKines is well aware of the elite company he has cemented his name in, which includes NMSU great Sam Lacey. However, the Aggie senior said he could not have achieved the milestone without his coaches and teammates.

“I have to thank my teammates and coaching staff for believing in me, giving me that confidence and sticking with me,” McKines said. “All the teammates and coaches throughout the time I’ve been here stuck with me and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The Aggies improved to 16-7 on the season, matching their win total from last season. NMSU returns to conference play Saturday when the Aggies host Louisiana Tech at the Pan Am Center. NMSU defeated Louisiana Tech by ten points on the road in the conference opener on Jan. 7.