Aggies Upset No. 12 New Mexico
New Mexico State guard Billy Keys learned from an early mistake and made No. 12 New Mexico pay for it the rest of the night.
Keys scored 24 points in the Aggies' 76-55 win over the Lobos on Tuesday, but it was his first shot -- one that ended up in the stands -- that may have been the most crucial of the night.
"The first time I went to the hole, (Kenny) Thomas blocked it out of bounds," Keys said of the Lobos' center. "I figured if he's going to come out on me, my guys should be open. I just started penetrating and kicking it instead of trying to shoot over the big guy."
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Keys, one of five former Northeastern Illinois players who transferred to New Mexico State after the Illinois school dropped its basketball program last year, finished with seven assists. When he wasn't setting up teammates for open jumpers, Keys was hitting 8 of 13 shots.
New Mexico State (12-5) won its fifth straight and snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series.
It also was Lou Henson's 693rd career victory, leaving him seven shy of becoming the 13th Division I coach to reach 700.
New Mexico (16-3) had one of its worst shooting nights of the season, hitting only 34 percent from the field. Thomas had 18 points and nine rebounds, but he was the only Lobo to dent the Aggies' aggressive man-to-man pressure.
Most teams have double-teamed Thomas this season, but the Aggies' strategy was to pressure New Mexico freshman point guard John Robinson.
"We wanted to pressure the ball and when Thomas got it, we wanted to get help," Henson said. "It's hard to throw it in when you get pressure on the ball."
Robinson struggled at both ends of the floor. He hit just 2 of 10 shots and didn't have an assist in 32 minutes of running New Mexico's offense.
"It was a game won at the guard position," said New Mexico coach Dave Bliss. "Their guad had a career game and John made some freshmen mistakes you can't make on the road."
The loss came just three nights after New Mexico's biggest win of the season - a 79-78 over Arizona in Albuquerque. The Lobos won that game with a layup at the buzzer, but few shots fell for them in Las Cruces.
"We've gone almost 20 games without having a bad game," Bliss said. "Everything that could have rolled in for them rolled in and everything that could bounce out for us bounced out."
Freshman Eric Channing and Charles Gosa each scored 15 points for New Mexico State. Keys scored 19 points in the second half.
Channing and Gosa set the tempo early. Channing scored the game's first points with a 3-pointer and Gosa got loose for a dunk in the two minutes.
Three straight inside baskets by Thomas gave New Mexico its only lead of the night at 19-18 with 7:01 left in the opening half. Moments later, Channing and Mikko Noopila hit consecutive 3-pointers to snap a 22-all tie and the Aggies were on their way to their most lopsided victory over the Lobos since a 96-59 win in 1959.
The Aggies closed the first half with a 15-5 run for a 37-27 lead, and they quickly extended the margin in the second half.
New Mexico missed nine of its first 12 shots in the second half and went without a field goal for nearly six minutes. A pair of free throws by Thomas accounted for the only New Mexico points in that period, and when Keys turned a steal into a layup with 9:38 left, New Mexico State had a 58-38 lead.
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