Snubbed senior propels New Mexico State into final vs. Seattle

Tshilidzi Nephawe could have given the politically correct answer when he was asked Friday about being left off the All-Western Athletic Conference first team. Instead, New Mexico State’s senior center opted for honesty.

“I’m glad at least I got a little bit of recognition, but I was not really happy that I was second team,” Nephawe said. “I feel like I deserved to be first team. I just wanted to come today and prove myself what kind of player I am and help us win.”

Nephawe finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds and scored the game’s biggest basket with 33.3 seconds left, lifting the top-seeded Aggies to a 57-53 victory over No. 4 Cal State-Bakersfield in the semifinals of the WAC men’s basketball tournament at Orleans Arena.

New Mexico State (22-10), which has won 12 straight, goes for its fourth straight tournament title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament when it meets No. 3 Seattle (16-14) in the final at 8 p.m. today. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

“(This) group of guys that I have right now, the best is yet to come, I think,” Aggies coach Marvin Menzies said. “I’m hoping and praying they put it all together before the season is over.”

Daniel Mullings had 14 points, and Pascal Siakam added 10 points and 10 rebounds as the Aggies took advantage of their massive size advantage down low. At times, New Mexico State’s lineup featured a pair of 6-foot-10-inch posts in Nephawe and Johnathon Wilkins along with the 6-9 Siakam, and the Aggies finished with 38 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points.

Still, New Mexico State, a 10-point favorite, had trouble putting away the Roadrunners (14-19), who got 22 points and six rebounds from Aly Ahmed. The Aggies led 50-39 on a 3-pointer by Ian Baker with 8:08 remaining before Bakersfield answered with a 13-4 run.

Ahmed scored inside with 1:15 left to cap the surge, but Nephawe rebounded Mullings’ 3-point attempt and scored on the putback to give the Aggies a 56-52 advantage. Jaylin Airington’s 3-pointer with 17 seconds left rattled out for Bakersfield, and Mullings went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line with 15.2 seconds to ice the game.

“These games in the postseason is just about winning,” Menzies said. “Winning time is three, four minutes left in every game, when the game is close and you’ve got to rely on your seniors and your leadership and your talent to get the job done.”

In the other semifinal, Isiah Umipig scored 30 points as Seattle held on to beat No. 2 Missouri-Kansas City 69-63. Umipig had 21 points in the first half and outscored the Kangaroos by himself as Seattle led 34-18 at the break.

Deshon Taylor led UMKC with 16 points, including a miraculous 3-pointer in the final two minues while falling out of bounds. Martez Harrison, the conference player of the year, had 12 points but went 1-for-11 from the field.

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.