Box Score

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is still in search of its first Western Athletic Conference win of the season after an 82-64 loss to New Mexico State Thursday night at the Pan American Center. UH dropped to 9-8 overall and 0-5 in the WAC with its fifth straight loss.

 

The 'Bows have now lost nine of its last 10 meetings with the Aggies (9-9, 3-1 WAC) and remain winless in six all-time trips to Las Cruces. It was also UH's 15^th straight road loss, 13 of which have come in conference play.

 

Zane Johnson led UH with a career-high 25 points, while Vander Joaquim recorded his third career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Bill Amis finished with 10 points before fouling out with 7:20 left in the game.

 

Hernst LaRoche led a balanced Aggie attack with 13 points, while Troy Gillenwater recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

 

UH hung tough with the Aggies for much of the first half, but New Mexico State went on a decisive run just before halftime. The 'Bows trailed just 22-21 with a little more than six minutes left in the half, but the Aggies hit a trio of three-pointers to spur an 11-2 run that suddenly gave the Aggies a double-digit lead, 33-23. NMSU eventually took a 42-29 lead into the locker room.

 

Any hopes for a UH comeback were dashed in the second as the Aggies built its lead to as many as 30 points. UH, however, rallied late in the game with some energized play to cut that deficit nearly in half.

 

UH will conclude its road trip with a meeting against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Jan. 15. Tipoff is 7:00 p.m. CT (3:00 HT) at the Thomas Assembly Center.