ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico State Aggies got 21 points from Pascal Siakam, but it wasn't enough to hold off the New Mexico Lobos who swept the Rio Grande Rivalry series with a 79-61 win at WisePies Arena on Wednesday night.
 
The Aggies (5-5) suffered their third straight loss, while the Lobos (7-2) won their second straight game.
 
Siakam was held to just four rebounds and a blocked shot in the contest, while connecting on 9-of-13 shots (69 percent).
 
NM State played without junior captain Ian Baker after the 10 minute mark in the first half. The Aggie point guard was wiped out on a screen at half court. He was on the floor for eight minutes before walking to the bench. He did not return to the game.
 
"This was a disappointing loss," said NM State head coach Marvin Menzies. "We struggled at the foul line and just didn't take advantage of some of the opportunities we had."
 
To compound the loss of Baker, the Aggies also got into foul trouble. While NM State did not have a player foul out, it caused personnel problems in the second half.
 
"Between the injury and then getting into foul trouble we had to play some guys who hadn't had a lot of time this year," said Menzies. "It's unfortunate that it came at The Pit, but hopefully we can learn from it."
 
While the Lobos built an 11-point first half lead, the Aggies made a run just before the half and trimmed it to a 38-32 contest after sophomore Tanveer Bhullar converted a layup and free throw into a traditional 3-point play.
 
But the Lobos came out with a 6-0 run to start the half as Siakam picked up two quick fouls to have four in the contest. The Aggies played from behind the rest of the contest.
 
NM State shot 45.3 percent from the floor for the game, hitting 24-of-53 shots, while the Lobos connected on 30-of-63 from the field, 47.6 percent. But it was the second half that was the difference as UNM hit 56 percent, while the Aggies hit 38 percent.
 
"It was a tale of two halves," said Menzies. "We shot well in the first half to stay in it, but you have to hand it to UNM. They played very well offensively in the second half."
 
Free throws also doomed NM State in the contest. The Aggies struggled at the charity stripe hitting only 13-of-29 attempts, 44.8 percent.
 
The Lobos hit 7-of-20 from the 3-point arc, while NM State went 0-for-7 from long distance.
 
And for just the second time this season, the Aggies were out rebounded by an opponent, as the Lobos grabbed 40 boards to the Aggies 28. UNM has been the only team to out rebound NM State this season.
 
For the second time this season Tanveer Bhullar equaled his career highs in scoring and rebounding, as he just missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Jalyn Pennie recorded a career-high with three blocked shots.
 
The Aggies don't have long to recover from the loss as they face the second game of the I-10 Rivalry on Saturday against UTEP. Tipoff at the Don Haskins Center is 7 p.m.