NMSU Men Beat McNeese State 82-62

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Dec. 21)-The New Mexico State men’s basketball team defeated McNeese State, 82-62, to improve to 8-4 on the season.

Redshirt senior forward Wendell McKines directed the Aggies with 23 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season and 33rd of his career. He moved into third all-time on NM State’s career rebounding list with his second rebound of the game. McKines has 882 career rebounds and only trails Sam Lacey (1,265) and Slab Jones (951).

Off the bench, sophomore guard Christian Kabongo added 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and junior forward Bandja Sy supplied 13. As a team, the Aggies shot a season-best 58 percent from the field (29-of-50).

At halftime, the Aggies had a 36-25 lead with Sy leading all scorers with 11 points on a 5-of-6 shooting performance. NM State was a force inside with a 14-0 advantage in the paint with eight points from senior center Hamidu Rahman and seven points and seven rebounds from McKines.

After a short holiday break, the Aggies conclude a five-game home stand against in-state rival New Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m., and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Saturday, Dec. 31 at noon inside the Pan American Center.

Source: NMSU Athletics