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OREM — New Mexico State guard Ian Baker score a game-high 24 points to help the Aggies defeat Utah Valley 74-69 on Saturday night at the UCCU Center in front of 6,246 fans.
The win is the 18th-straight for New Mexico State, which improved to 20-2 overall and 7-0 in Western Athletic Conference play. UVU dropped to 10-11 overall and 2-4 in the WAC.
"Well, I thought the guys played probably 25 minutes of good basketball," UVU head coach Mark Pope said. "We just didn't make plays down the stretch, offensively or defensively. We missed free throws, and we missed defensive assignments."
In a game that seemed almost identical to the 2015 matchup in Orem, UVU started the game quickly and jumped out to an early 9-4 lead thanks to 3-pointers by Ivory Young and Jordan Poydras.
The game went back and forth from there with the teams matching each other point for point.
UVU then used a 15-4 run to close out the first half and go into the locker rom leading 38-31. It seemed like the basketball gods wanted another upset to go along with a crazy week in college hoops.
Baker had other ideas. The senior guard scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half and took over down the stretch, including what Pope referred to as the biggest play of the game.
With the Aggies trailing by four following a Brandon Randolph layup with 2:03 to play, Baker took the inbounds pass, drove the length of the floor, scored on the layup and drew a foul in the process. Baker made the free throw and UVU didn't score again from that point on. Baker's drive sparked a 9-0 run for the Aggies to finish the game and pick up their 18th-straight win.
"We made some great plays at the rim to go up four, but then we gave up the coast-to-coast uncontested layup where we fouled after the shot had gone up," Pope said. "It's breakdowns like that that cost you against a team that has won 18 games in a row now. They've won 18 games in a row for a reason, and we didn't win the game for a reason. We've just got to execute better down the stretch."
New Mexico State outrebounded UVU 44-25. The Aggies also had 16 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second-chance points.
Eli Chuha finished with a double-double for New Mexico State with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Braxton Huggins also finished in double figures with 11.
UVU was led by Randolph who had a team-high 18 points. Isaac Neilson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kenneth Ogbe and Ivory Young also finished in double figures with 12 and 11, respectively.
The Wolverines now go on the road for three conference matchups. The first is a Feb. 4 matchup at Seattle University. The following week, UVU travels to Kansas City to face Missouri-Kansas City on Thursday, Feb. 9, and then up north to face Chicago State on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Kyle McDonald is sports fan who loves the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @kylesportsbias
