New Mexico State wins second straight, beats Seattle

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State has started to resemble the basketball program that has dominated the Western Athletic Conference for most of its tenure in the league.

After an 0-9 start in conference play, the Aggies have played three straight quality games against three of the top five teams in the league. NM State won its second straight game on Saturday, beating Seattle 82-75 at the Pan American Center.

Seattle is trending in the opposite direction, losing four straight games after starting league play 7-0.

"We played Seattle tough at Seattle, we played Utah Valley tough there, I like that we have responded the way we have responded against the top teams in the league," said Aggies coach Greg Heiar, whose team is 9-14 overall. "Stephen F. Austin and Seattle are two very good teams. ... They have a core group of guys who are back, they play the right way so it's definitely a positive and a confidence builder for myself and our staff and especially for our players."

James Beck scored all 12 of his points in the first half and the Aggies shot 50% from the field to take a 42-33 halftime lead.

But for the second straight game, it was the Aggies defense that kept them in the game and helped build their lead. Seattle finished shooting 37% from the field, but got as close as four points on an Alex Schumacher layup with 1:01 left to play.

"We are just keeping it really simple instead of so much scouting based (on defense)," Heiar said. "Our defensive identity is starting to form."

Xavier Pinson hit a pair of free throws and Anthony Roy hit Issa Muhammad for a dunk in transition to make it 79-71.

Roy had a team high 15 points, Muhammad scored 12 points and DaJaun Gordon added 14 points.

Pinson provided a spark off the bench for the second straight game, finishing with 11 points and seven assists. He hit his first three shots – all from behind the arc, to help the Aggies dig out of an early 9-0 hole.

"Me and coach talked about it and he told me you are the senior, you make the decision and we both agreed on if it's not broke, don't fix it so as long as we are winning, I will be coming off the bench," Pinson said. "I'm not going to lie, I kind of like it better. ... I get to see where the game is going and see where I can help things and affect the game in different ways."

The Aggies play at Grand Canyon on Wednesday.

"It was just a matter of us playing together and us leaving the egos at home, honestly," Pinson said. "Now we are all just sacrificing and want to win and do all the dirty work that we have to do to win. That has been the tone setter right there."

New Mexico State women fall at home to Grand Canyon

LAS CRUCES – New Mexico State's three-game WAC win streak ended on Saturday after a 64-59 loss to Grand Canyon at the Pan American Center.

NM State (12-11, 7-4 WAC) plays at Southern Utah on Thursday.

Tayelin Grays put in an all-around performance, recording a new career-high in points (23), while leading the team in rebounds (five), 3-pointers made (three), blocks (two) and tied for the lead in steals (two). Molly Kaiser recorded 12 points in limited action due to foul trouble, with Sylena Peterson rounding out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. Olivia Lane led the ‘Lopes with 26 points.

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico State wins second straight, beats Seattle