The New Mexico State men’s basketball team faces Hawai’i, Saturday, Feb. 26 at 10 p.m. in Honolulu, in the final regular season road game. The game is available on KGRT 104 FM with the ‘Voice of the Aggies’ Jack Nixon calling the action, and the pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to tip. The contest is available on AggieVision, which is shown live across New Mexico on Comcast stations, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3.com.

New Mexico State Aggies

The Aggies moved to 14-14 and 8-5 in the WAC after a 72-70 overtime loss at San Jose State, Feb. 23. Junior forward Troy Gillenwater leads NM State with a team-high 19.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Hernst Laroche is averaging 11.6 points and 4.9 assists per contest.

Scouting Hawai’i

The Rainbow Warriors are 16-10 and 6-7 after beating Louisiana Tech, 71-58, Feb. 24. Junior guard Zane Johnson and senior forward Bill Amis are guiding the team with 15.0 points and 14.9 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Joston Thomas also contributes 10.1 points per contest.

Series Notes

The Aggies have an 12-2 lead in the all-time series with Hawai’i. NM State beat the Rainbow Warriors, 82-64, Jan. 13 in Las Cruces, and the Aggies have won the last six games in the series.

Previous Meeting

Junior forward Troy Gillenwater scored 13 points in 18 minutes to help NM State to an 82-64 victory over Hawai’i, Jan. 13. He also added 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Junior guard Hernst Laroche added 14 points and five assists, while freshman guard Christian Kabongo scored 12 and senior guard Gordo Castillo scored 10.

Aggies Fall in Overtime at San Jose State

NM State suffered a 72-70 overtime loss at San Jose State, which was the fourth overtime game of the year. The Aggies had four players in double-figures with junior forward Troy Gillenwater posting a team-high 18 points. Sophomore forward Tyrone Watson and freshman guard Christian Kabongo supplied 11 each. Sophomore forward/center B.J. West scored a career-high 10 points, and junior guard Hernst Laroche recorded nine points and a season-high nine assists. NM State slipped to 1-3 in overtime games this season.

A Floor General

Junior guard Hernst Laroche continues his command at the point for the Aggies in 2010-11 with a team-high 137 assists and 58 steals. He also ranks second in scoring with 11.6 points per game. Laroche has 401 career assists and ranks second on the all-time list at NM State.

Career Leaders in Assists

1. Sam Crawford-592

2. Hernst Laroche-401

3. Keith Hill-379

4. Ernest Patterson-371

5. Steve Colter-347

Gillenwater Closing in on 1,000-Point Club

Junior forward Troy Gillenwater is on track to become the 27th member of the Aggie 1,000-point club. Currently, he has scored 991 career points from the Crimson and White.

Castillo for Three

Senior guard Gordo Castillo is currently sixth on the all-time list for career 3-pointers with 149.

Career Leaders in Made 3-Point Field Goals

1. Eric Channing-283

2. Jonathan Gibson-259

3. Jeff McCool-206

4. Denmark Reid-188

5. Jahmar Young-156

6. Gordo Castillo-149

7. Elijah Ingram-127

Gillenwater Shoots and Scores

Junior forward Troy Gillenwater is leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 19.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. In WAC games, he has increased that production to 21.5 points. He has 11 games over 20 points this year and 14 in his career. Gillenwater set a career high with 34 points in the overtime win against Boise State, 96-87, Jan. 27. He has now surpassed the 30-point plateau four times this year and has recorded four double-doubles in 2010-11. 

Looking Ahead

The Aggies conclude the regular season with a pair of home games against Utah State, Wednesday, March 2 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2 and Nevada, Saturday, March 5 at 7 p.m.