RENO, Nev.-The New Mexico State men’s basketball team faces Utah State, in the WAC Tournament Championship game, Saturday, March 13 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev. The game is available on KGRT 104 FM with the ‘Voice of the Aggies’ Jack Nixon. The Aggies are making their third appearance in the title game in the last four years for a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

New Mexico State Aggies

The Aggies improved to 21-11 on the year with a win over Nevada, 80-79, in the WAC Tournament Semifinals, March 12. NM State now has its 24th 20-win season in school history. Junior guard Jahmar Young posts a team-high 20.5 points per contest while senior guard Jonathan Gibson adds 17.7 points per game and sophomore forward Troy Gillenwater provides 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Junior forward Wendell McKines supplies 11.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest while sophomore center Hamidu Rahman is contributing with 10.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Young Hits Game Winner over Nevada

Junior guard Jahmar Young hit the game-winning shot with five seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Aggies over Nevada, 80-79, in the WAC Tournament Semifinals, March 12. With the Aggies trailing, 79-78, Young sank a jumper from the elbow to finish with 15 points. Sophomore forward Troy Gillenwater had a season-high 21 points while junior forward Wendell McKines recorded his second consecutive double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Jonathan Gibson also scored 10 points for the Aggies. NM State is now 8-0 in games decided by five points or less this season.

Aggies Handle San Jose State 90-69

NM State defeated the No. 6 seed San Jose State, 90-69, Thursday, March 11, in the first round of the WAC Tournament, in the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev. Senior guard Jonathan Gibson scored a team-high 22 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the 3-point line while junior guard Jahmar Young contributed 16 points. Junior forward Wendell McKines posted a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds and sophomore forward Troy Gillenwater added 11 points.

Utah State Series Notes

Utah State has a slight 33-26 lead in the all-time series after winning the second meeting of the season, 81-63, March 6 in Logan, Utah. NM State won the first contest, 55-52, Jan. 2, in Las Cruces. The last time NM State won the WAC Tournament, the Aggies defeated Utah State, 72-70, in the title game, March 10, 2007, in Las Cruces. The two teams met in the WAC Tournament Semifinals a year ago, and NM State lost a heartbreaker, 71-70, March 13, 2009, in Reno, Nev.

Previous Meetings

NM State fell at Utah State, 81-63, in the regular season finale, March 6 in Logan, Utah. Junior guard Jahmar Young scored a team-high 17 points while sophomore forward Troy Gillenwater had 14 points with 12 in the second half. Sophomore center Hamidu Rahman added 13 points and junior forward Wendell McKines grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

The Aggies opened WAC play with a 55-52 win over Utah State, Jan. 2. Senior guard Jonathan Gibson hit a jumper from the elbow with 16.2 seconds remaining to secure the victory along with a game-high 19 points. The Aggies are now 5-0 in conference openers since joining the WAC. Before the win over Utah State, Jan. 2, the last time the Aggies won a game scoring 55 points or less was a 48-47 victory at Pacific, Jan. 22, 2000. It was also the first time since March 9, 2006 that the Aggies won a game in the 50s when NM State beat Hawai’i, 58-57, in the WAC Tournament.

WAC Tournament History

2005-06 (Reno, Nev.)

March 9 defeated Hawai’i, 58-57

March 10 lost to Nevada, 70-59

2006-07 (Las Cruces)

March 8 defeated Louisiana Tech, 77-70

March 9 defeated Boise State, 88-69

March 10 defeated Utah State, 72-70

2007-08 (Las Cruces)

March 13 defeated Idaho, 73-53

March 14 defeated Nevada, 83-75

March 15 lost to Boise State, 102-107 (3OT)

2008-09 (Reno, Nev.)

March 12 defeated Boise State, 80-70

March 13 lost to Utah State, 70-71

2009-10 (Reno, Nev.)

March 11 defeated San Jose State, 90-69

March 12 defeated Nevada, 80-79

Menzies Leads the Charge

With the Aggies’ 21st win of the season, head coach Marvin Menzies now has 59 wins at NM State in his third season with the Aggies, a mark that ranks second in school history. He only trails the legendary Lou Henson, who won 62 games in his first three seasons in the Crimson and White.

Double Trouble

Junior forward Wendell McKines has posted a double-double in both WAC Tournament games. Against Nevada, he had 16 points and 10 rebounds after a 15-point and 14-rebound showing versus San Jose State. McKines now has a team-high nine double-doubles this year. Sophomore center Hamidu Rahman has seven while sophomore forward Troy Gillenwater also has a pair of double-doubles this season.  

Scoring Machines

With two players entering the 1,000-point club this season, senior guard Jonathan Gibson and junior guard Jahmar Young continue to climb the all-time scoring list at NM State. Gibson is currently No. 7 on the list with 1,501 career points while Young is No. 9 with 1,447 career points.

Aggie All-Time Leading Scorers

1. Eric Channing 1,862

2. Albert ‘Slab’ Jones 1,758

3. Jimmy Collins 1,734

4. George Knighton 1,660

5. James Moore 1,651

6. Richard Robinson 1,540

7. Jonathan Gibson, 1,511

8. Sam Lacey 1,448

9. Jahmar Young 1,447

10. Ernest Patterson 1,419

Currently, Young is ranked No. 22 in the NCAA in points per game (20.7) while Gibson is No. 70 (17.9). In addition, Gibson is No. 9 in the country in 3-point field goals made (3.2) and 19th in 3-point percentage (41.5). Sophomore center Hamidu Rahman is No. 78 in rebounds per game (8.4) and sophomore guard Hernst Laroche is No. 77 in assist to turnover ratio (2.04). As a team, NM State is No. 11 in 3-pointers made per contest (8.6), No. 20 in scoring offense (78.9), No. 50 in point percentage (46.2) and No. 56 in 3-point field goal percentage (37.0) as of March 11.

Young, Gibson Garner More Postseason Awards

Junior guard Jahmar Young was a Sporting News First Team All-WAC selection while senior guard Jonathan Gibson was named to the second team.

Menzies Named Ben Jobe Award Finalist

Head coach Marvin Menzies is a finalist for the inaugural Ben Jobe Award from CollegeInsider.com. The award will be presented annually to the top minority coach in Division I college basketball.

Young Earns All-District Honors

Junior guard Jahmar Young was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District VIII Team. He leads the Aggies with a team-high 20.7 points per game and earned all-district honors for the second consecutive year.

Young, Gibson, McKines Earn All-WAC Honors

Junior guard Jahmar Young, senior guard Jonathan Gibson and junior forward Wendell McKines earned All-WAC honors in 2009-10. Young was named to the first team for the second consecutive year. Gibson garnered second team accolades and McKines was an honorable mention selection. This is the first year since the 2005-06 season that the Aggies have had multiple all-league honorees.

Hitting the Century Mark

Sophomore guard Hernst Laroche recorded his second 100-assist season with the Aggies when he tossed a pair of assists in the win at Pacific, Feb. 20. He now has 119 assists this season after he recorded 139 in his freshman campaign. Laroche is the first Aggie to record back-to-back 100-assist seasons since Billy Keys accomplished the feat in 1998-99 and 1999-00.

Stacking Up Against the WAC

The Aggies have two of the top five scorers in the WAC. Junior guard Jahmar Young ranks third in the league with 20.9 points per game while senior guard Jonathan Gibson is fifth with 17.8 points per contest. Gibson has a conference-best 3-point field goals made per game (3.20). He is seventh in steals per game (1.40), seventh in free throw percentage (84.0) while Young is fourth in 3-point field goals made (2.27) and sixth in free throw percentage (84.4).

Sophomore center Hamidu Rahman is contributing as he ranks second in offensive rebounds per game (3.72), eighth in field goal percentage (56.3) and fourth in rebounds per game (8.4) along with sixth in blocked shots (1.38). Sophomore guard Hernst Laroche is fourth in assist to turnover ratio (2.02) while he is seventh in assists (3.77) and steals per game (1.40). As a team, the Aggies rank first in 3-point field goals made (8.63 per game) as of March 6. 

In WAC games only, Young finished third (21.1) and Gibson was sixth (16.6) in scoring while junior forward Wendell McKines ranked first (9.8) and Rahman was fifth (8.2) in rebounding. Laroche was fifth in assist to turnover ratio (2.36) and sixth in assists (4.13). At the free throw line, Young was seventh (76.2). Gibson ranked No. 1 in 3-point field goals made (3.19) and junior guard Gordo Castillo was second in 3-point percentage (48.0). In blocked shots, Rahman was fourth (1.44). As a team, the Aggies ranked first in turnover margin (+2.44), 3-point field goals made per game (9.00) and scoring offense (78.6) following the conclusion of conference play.

On the Line

The Aggies are taking advantage at the free-throw line this season and posting a 734-634 advantage in attempts. As a team, NM State currently has a 70.3 free throw percentage. Junior guard Jahmar Young posts an 84.6 percentage, and he ranks No. 57 in the NCAA, while senior guard Jonathon Gibson is No. 66 with an 84.3 percentage as of March 11.

Trends and Tidbits

The Aggies are winning close games this season. In 2009-10, NM State is 8-0 in games decided by five points or less. The Aggies are also 17-0 when they have a better field goal percentage than their opponents and 10-0 when they shoot better than 50 percent from the field.

As a team, NM State is a lethal threat from the 3-point line and the Aggies average 8.6 makes per game. Ironically, twice this season the Aggies have gone 3-for-20 from beyond the arc and they have won both games (at UTEP and Hawai’i).