Anytime CSUB and New Mexico State meet you’ve got storylines a plenty and Thursday night’s game was no different. The Aggies come in riding a 20 game win streak while the Runners unbeaten in their previous 13 games at home.
Tonight, CSUB had the added incentive to finally beat New Mexico State on their home court.
The Runners took an 18 point lead into the second half.
But closing has been an issue, it certainly was last year, and Matt Smith quieted those early in the second.
It was the fourth sellout crowd of the season. They were loud and lost it after Airington’s three-pointer went in. That made it a 15 point lead with under nine minutes to play.
Every time the Aggies looked like they were about to make a run, CSUB calmly executed their offense.
As CSUB gets the program’s first ever home win over New Mexico State, Coach Barnes told his players the work is only just beginning.
“If we don’t win those other games to put us in this position this game’s not as big as it is,” Coach Rod Barnes said. “So I told them after we win the game we gotta finish what we’re doing.”
“After we won the championship last year, me and Jaylin talked about the big wins that we wanted and Grand Canyon was one of them away, New Mexico State was one of them away and we dropped that one so we felt like we owed it to ourselves and the fans to come out and get this one,” Matt Smith said.
CSUB will fight for the number one seed in the upcoming Western Athletic Conference tournament still remains. The first step begins this Saturday at 7 p.m. against University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
