PHOENIX - A 15-point GCU advantage early in the second half was cut to just six after an 11-0 run by the NM State men's basketball team, but the Aggies' offense stalled from there as they hit just four field goals over the last 13:52 in a 65-53 WAC setback to the league-leading Lopes Saturday night inside GCU Arena.
FIRST HALF
• In a series of events which was eerily similar to Friday night's WAC showdown, Wilfried Likayi came out of the gates scorching hot. The junior converted two layups and drilled a three-pointer to account for all of the Aggies' point during their 7-2 run to start the game.
• Much like Friday night, however, the Lopes had an answer for the Aggies' early successes. GCU took off on a 10-2 run over the next 3:04 to take the lead for good. Asbjørn Mitgaard called buckets on a pair of layups while Chance McMillan ended the run with the second of GCU's five three-pointers on the night.
• Two free throw makes by Donnie Tillman following McMillan's triple pulled NM State within one, 12-11, but that was as close as the Aggies would get to regaining the lead.
• NM State did shoot 44-percent (11-of-25) from the field in the opening half, but a 4-of-15 (26.7-percent) long range rate didn't help matters.
• It was the Lopes' sustained bursts of offense which kept the Aggies at a disadvantage for the rest of the night. Jabari Rice connected on a three-pointer to pull his squad back within two, 21-19, with 9:07 to go in the frame, but a 6-0 GCU spurt pushed its lead back to eight.
• Another Tillman score - this one a layup - cut the Lopes' lead to 29-26 with 4:27 remaining in the half, but GCU executed well after the final media time out of the half to extend its lead.
• The Lopes ended the half on a 7-2 run to take a 36-28 lead into the locker room at the break.
SECOND HALF
• GCU made a push to put the Aggies away for good with a 9-0 surge through the first 3:05 of the frame. Staring a 45-28 deficit squarely in the face, NM State battled back.
• Gilyard II and Henry connected on back-to-back long balls to kick-start an 11-0 NM State surge which breathed a renewed sense of energy into the home team. Henry wrapped up the sizable surge by dishing out to Rice on the corner who swished a three-pointer to cut the Lopes' edge to 45-39 with 13:53 to play.
• GCU, unfortunately, righted the ship shortly thereafter by feeding Mitgaard down low. The daunting Dane hit layups on consecutive possessions, hiking the Lopes' lead back to double-digits, 49-39, with 13:03 left.
• Over the last 13:52, NM State's shooting woes came to the forefront of things. The Aggies sank just four more field goals through that span which allowed GCU to keep them at bay for the rest of the night.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Likayi finished with a team-high 13 points for NM State while Rice (11) and Tillman (11) also contributed double-digit scoring efforts to the Aggies' cause.
• Mitgaard turned in a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the charge for the league-leading Lopes who ran their winning streak to seven games.
• The Aggies' ball movement was crisper than it was Friday night as NM State finished with 12 assists on 19 made field goals. Still, NM State's inability to fire accurately from the field hurt - especially in the second half.
• NM State went 8-of-27 (29.6-percent) from the field through the final 20 minutes of action which included an 18.8-percent (3-of-16) mark from long range.
• Saturday's setback was just the second time in head coach Chris Jans' tenure in which NM State has lost back-to-back WAC regular season tilts.
COMING UP NEXT
• NM State will return to a location much closer to Las Cruces for its next set of WAC showdowns. The Aggies will play host to California Baptist Friday and Saturday at a site to be determined in the city of El Paso, Texas.
++NM State++
