Kansas City
New Mexico State
Aggies Knock Off 'Roos with Dominance on Glass, 63-45
1/10/2015 11:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Las Cruces, N.M.) - New Mexico State's length and athleticism inside was the difference on Saturday night in the WAC opener, taking a 39-25 rebound edge, including 19 offensive boards, in a 63-45 win over UMKC in men's basketball action.
“We knew what kind of battle it was going to be tonight, especially rebounding,” Head Coach Kareem Richardson said. “We didn't do a good job of driving those guys out and forcing officials to make over the back calls, it looked like they were just head and shoulders above us on a lot of those rebounds.”
The opening half was all Aggies (9-9, 1-0 WAC) as their long zone defense gave the 'Roos (5-13, 0-1 WAC) all kinds of trouble offensively, holding them to only 23 percent shooting and a season-low 14 points. It closed off most of the driving lanes and forced the 'Roos to attempt nine threes, hitting only two of them.
The killer stretch was the final 7:32 of the period though. With UMKC trailing 21-14, the Aggies held the 'Roos scoreless for the remainder of the half.
The Aggies offense was efficient, hitting 54 percent of its shots and dishing out eight assists to just five turnovers. They also took a 20-12 rebound advantage into the break along with their 33-14 lead.
The second half was much closer, but UMKC was in so much of a hole, it couldn't get close enough to make a legitimate run. The teams basically traded buckets most of the half, with the margin hovering between 15 and 21 the entire period.
The 'Roos actually out-scored the Aggies in the final stanza by a 31-30 margin, but gave up 19 second-chance points in the game, including 28 points in the paint. UMKC battled to grab 14 offensive boards of its own, despite playing without two key inside players in Shayok Shayok and Thaddeus Smith. Also, guards Noah Knight and Mason Wedel were out due to injury.
New Mexico State also handled the UMKC press well, only turning it over nine times, the fewest of the season against the 'Roos.
Martez Harrison battled some ankle issues throughout the game, and only played 27 minutes, scoring 12 points to lead the team. Reese Holliday had nine points.
UMKC will play its next three games at home, starting with the WAC home opener next Saturday against Chicago State at 2:05 p.m. The game will be televised on KSMO in Kansas City.
