New Mexico State secures 3rd Place at Myrtle Beach Invitational with win

CONWAY, South Carolina -New Mexico State Head Coach Chris Jans isn't a fan of projections. But with his team navigating a challenging five-game start to a 4-1 record, he has to be excited about his team's potential.

Donnie Tillman scored 23 points and Will McNair chipped in 12 to go with 15 rebounds as New Mexico State defeated Indiana State 80-66 in the 3rd Place game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational Sunday.

The Aggies led for 39 of the game's 40 minutes.

McNair, a Philadelphia native, recorded his first double-double as an Aggie and he also dished out a team and career-high five assists.

New Mexico State led by as many as twenty in the 2nd half, when back-to-back three pointers from Teddy Allen made it a 58-38 game with just over 12 minutes to play.

But the Sycamores came back to make it a 71-65 game with under three minutes to play.

However, McNair came up clutch with a right handed hook shot followed by a shot-clock beating lay-in from Jabari Rice to push it back to double digits.

The win caps off a weekend in which the Aggies went 1-2, with wins over the Sycamores and Davidson and a 27-point loss to Utah State on Friday.

NM State returns to Las Cruces for two consecutive non-conference bouts against foes from the Land of Enchantment. First up is a date with NCAA Division II adversary New Mexico Highlands who heads inside the Pan Am Center Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m.

With a win on Wednesday, Chris Jans would secure his 100th as the Aggies Head Coach.