New Mexico State finishes Vandal sweep
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - Gordo Castillo scored 19 points and New Mexico State defeated Idaho 73-65 on Saturday night.
Castillo was 5 of 8 from 3-point range as the Aggies (12-11, 6-3 Western Athletic) completed the regular-season sweep of Idaho.
Aggies forward Troy Gillenwater scored 16 points and center Hamidu Rahman added 11.
Both teams shot 49 percent from the floor, but Idaho (12-9, 5-4) was 34.6 percent in the second half while New Mexico State was 47.8 percent in the second half. The Aggies scored 25 points off 24 Idaho turnovers.
Idaho guard Jeff Ledbetter led the Vandals with 17 points, making 5 of 11 from 3-point range. Deremy Geiger scored 15, Kyle Barone had 12 and Landon Tatum 10.
Castillo hit three 3-pointers during a 12-3 New Mexico State run that put the Aggies ahead by seven with 7:56 to play.
The first of the three gave the Aggies their first lead since an 8-6 advantage with 16:06 left in the first half.
Idaho tied the game twice before Tshilidzi Nephawe put New Mexico State ahead for good with a bucket as the shot clock expired with 3:46 to play.
New Mexico State pushed the lead back to seven on a pair of Gillenwater free throws with 2:03 to play. Ledbetter hit back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Idaho to within three with 1:11 left, but New Mexico State closed the game 9-for-10 from the foul line in the last 1:25.
After a Luiz Toledo three-point play on their first possession of the second half, Idaho went scoreless for nearly six minutes, allowing New Mexico State to tie the game at 40.
Each team committed 12 turnovers in the first half, leading to easy baskets for both teams. Idaho led 37-33 after shooting 64 percent from the field in the first half. The Aggies were a respectable 50 percent from the field, but were outscored 22-14 in the lane in the first 20 minutes.
Idaho hosts San Jose State on Thursday.
IDAHO (12-9)
Toledo 3-5 1-1 7, Barone 6-8 0-0 12, Ledbetter 6-13 0-0 17, Henderson 1-4 0-0 2, Geiger 4-7 6-6 15, Tatum 4-8 2-4 10, Wiley 1-3 0-0 2, Madison 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 9-11 65.
NEW MEXICO ST. (12-11)
Sy 1-4 0-0 2, Gillenwater 4-14 8-10 16, Watson 3-3 0-0 7, Rahman 4-5 3-6 11, Laroche 3-8 3-5 9, Kabongo 1-2 2-2 4, Nephawe 1-2 3-4 5, Dixon 0-1 0-0 0, Castillo 7-10 0-0 19. Totals 24-49 19-27 73.
Halftime_Idaho 37-33. 3-Point Goals_Idaho 6-19 (Ledbetter 5-11, Geiger 1-4, Wiley 0-1, Henderson 0-1, Madison 0-2), New Mexico St. 6-16 (Castillo 5-8, Watson 1-1, Sy 0-2, Laroche 0-2, Gillenwater 0-3). Fouled Out_Barone. Rebounds_Idaho 29 (Henderson 7), New Mexico St. 29 (Laroche 6). Assists_Idaho 11 (Ledbetter, Tatum 3), New Mexico St. 14 (Kabongo, Laroche 4). Total Fouls_Idaho 18, New Mexico St. 15. A_5,721.