New Mexico State cruises past UMKC in WAC tourney semifinal (Mar 10, 2017)

By AP
Published

LAS VEGAS (AP) Braxton Huggins and Ian Baker scored 18 points apiece and New Mexico State beat Missouri-Kansas City 78-60 on Friday night in a Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal.

No. 2 seed New Mexico State (27-5) will play top-seeded Cal State Bakersfield (22-8) on Saturday in a rematch of last season's tournament championship. The Aggies won four-straight titles before losing to the Roadrunners on a buzzer beater.

Huggins shot 5 of 9 from the floor, made four 3-pointers and had four assists. Baker was 6-of-12 shooting. Jemerrio Jones grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Aggies.

Kyle Steward and Dashawn King each scored 12 points to lead No. 3 seed UMKC (17-16).

New Mexico State closed the first half on a 25-7 run for a 41-29 lead. Huggins made two 3s and had eight points and Baker chipped in four points during the stretch. The Kangaroos pulled to 54-48 with about 10 minutes left but didn't get closer.