McKines Joins 1,000-1,000 Club, Aggies Roll 78-57

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Feb. 1)-Redshirt senior forward Wendell McKines became a member of the 1,000-career point and 1,000-career rebound club and led the New Mexico State men’s basketball team to a 78-57 win over CSU Bakersfield.

The Aggies improved to 16-7 overall with three players in double figures. They have a 5-2 WAC record before the second round of conference play begins Saturday.

With his 12th rebound of the game with 7:45 minutes remaining, McKines joined the elite club. He is only the second player in school history along with Sam Lacey, second active player in the NCAA (T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State) and 12th player in the WAC history to achieve the feat.

McKines also had his 13th double-double of the year and 40th of his career with a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman guard Daniel Mullings scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while senior guard Hernst Laroche supplied 10 points and four assists. For the second consecutive game, sophomore center Tshilidzi Nephawe blocked four shots.

The Aggies had a 36-29 halftime lead behind nine points from McKines. Junior forward Bandja Sy had seven points off the bench. Mullings added six points, while Laroche had five.

NM State returns to WAC play against Louisiana Tech, Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. inside the Pan American Center.

Source: NMSU Athletics