LAS VEGAS – After securing its 17th-straight victory Wednesday afternoon, the New Mexico State men's basketball team now turns its attention to UT Rio Grande Valley. The Aggies and Vaqueros are set for a 7 p.m. (MT) battle on Friday, March 15, inside Orleans Arena for a spot in the tournament title game.
 
Mychal Clanton will have the call in the semifinal game of the men's tournament alongside Joan Bonvicini with Rachel Vigil on the sidelines for the ESPN+ broadcast. For a complete look at the WAC Tournament, visit the Tournament Central Page by click here.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Aggie fans can catch the UMKC game on ESPN+ with a paid subscription ($4.99/month) or start a 7-day FREE trial. With a paid or trial subscription, fans can watch it online or through any mobile device, tablet or through a third-party unit such as Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Playstation 4, Xbox One etc.
 
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State men's basketball team all season long on Twitter and Instagram by following @NMStateMBB and on Facebook at FB.com/NMStateMBB.
 
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to Friday's WAC Tournament semifinal can catch the game by listening to NM State Athletics/US Bank Hall of Famer Jack Nixon on 99.5 Zia Country and affiliate stations on the Aggie Sports Network listed below or via TuneIn.
 

Alamogordo	103.7 FM KNMZ
Albuquerque	1150 AM KNMM
Carlsbad	1240 AM KAMQ
El Paso	1380 AM KHEY
Gallup	1230 AM, 94.9 FM KYVA
Las Vegas	107.1 FM KMDS

 
ALWAYS AND FOREVER
With Wednesday's win in the Western Athletic Conference quarterfinal, the 2018-19 NM State men's basketball squad has tied the 2016-17 and 2017-18 teams for the most wins in program history. The Aggies will get an opportunity to cement itself in Aggie lore on Friday as it goes for the program record. The win also makes it three-straight years where the Aggie men's basketball program has recorded 28 wins.
 
A LOOK AT THE VAQUEROS
New Mexico State will face UT Rio Grande Valley in the semifinal game of the WAC Tournament after the Vaqueros registered their first-ever win in the conference tournament with an 85-70 win over CSU Bakersfield in the second game of the day.
 
Oddly enough, Friday's meeting between NM State and UTRGV will be the first time the two teams will face off in the WAC Tournament. The Aggies will also have the odds in their favor having gone 10-3 all-time in semifinal games at the WAC Tournament.
 
UTRGV led CSU Bakersfield wire-to-wire in the quarterfinal match-up and was up by as much as 22 in the first half. That lead was challenged by the Runners was cut down to 62-55 with 8:54 left to play, but a 12-0 run by the Vaqueros closed things out 85-70.
 
Heading into the semifinal game, Terry Winn III leads UTRGV in the scoring column with 12.7 points per game while Lesley Varner II checks in at 11.0 points per game and 5.3 boards. Tyson Smith is just off the double-digit line, averaging 9.9 points per game while Jordan Levi posted 9.8 points per game and 5.6 assists per game. Greg Bowl is just behind Levi with 8.9 points per game while Jordan Jackson rounds out the list of scorers for UTRGV with 8.7 points per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico State had a slow start to its opening game of the WAC Tournament but turned on the after burners in the second-half and outscored Chicago State 51-26 en route to its 86-49 victory. The win made it 17-consecutive wins for New Mexico State while also tying the program record for wins in a single-season with a 28-4 overall mark. NM State is also now 12-0 when playing quarterfinal games of the conference tournament and 14-0 in its first game of the conference tournament.
 
The Aggies had four players in double-figures led by Eli Chuha with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting and six rebounds. Terrell Brown was second on the scoring column with 13 points while C.J. Bobbitt and Clayton Henry chipped in with 11 points and 10 points, respectively. NM State took advantage of its prowess around the glass, turning 14 offensive boards into a 21-2 edge in second-chance points.

WATCH | Highlights from today's quarterfinal win over Chicago State!!

🎥 @ColonelCalv#AggieUp | #WACvegas pic.twitter.com/ppxfwoXIUc

— NM State MBB (@NMStateMBB) March 15, 2019

 
UP NEXT
Should the Aggies advance past UT Rio Grande Valley, it'll set itself up with an 8 p.m. (MT) meeting in the WAC Championship game on Saturday, March 16, for the 11th time since joining the conference in 2005-06.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Regardless of the outcome Friday and/or Saturday, NM State will be playing in a postseason tournament – whether it be the NIT, which the Aggies have secured an automatic bid after winning the WAC regular-season title, or the NCAA Tournament only time will tell. ­­