Saint Mary's downs New Mexico State 73-58 behind Ford, Fitts
LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Jordan Ford scored 28 points with five assists and Saint Mary's held off New Mexico State 73-58 on Wednesday night to win its third straight.
South Florida transfer Malik Fitts added 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his second game for the Gaels (3-0). Saint Mary's shot 48 percent to the Aggies' 36 and got 30 points from its bench.
Trailing by 18 in the second half, the Aggies rallied on a 10-2 run and closed to 55-48 on Ivan Aurrecoechea's free throw, then to 64-56 on AJ Harris' driving layup with 1:23 left. Ford hit six free throws down the stretch and Fitts sank a 3 with 18 seconds left to seal the win.
Jordan Hunter's layup broke open a back-and-forth game and put the Gaels up for good, 19-18, and they led 32-23 at halftime after holding the Aggies to 34.6 percent shooting.
Harris scored 17 points and Aurrecoechea added 12 for the Aggies (2-1).
Game Information
2023-24 West Coast Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Saint Mary's | 15-1 | - | 26-8 |
Gonzaga | 14-2 | 1 | 27-8 |
San Francisco | 11-5 | 4 | 23-11 |
Santa Clara | 10-6 | 5 | 20-13 |
San Diego | 7-9 | 8 | 18-15 |
Pepperdine | 5-11 | 10 | 13-20 |
Loyola Marymount | 5-11 | 10 | 12-19 |
Portland | 5-11 | 10 | 12-21 |
Pacific | 0-16 | 15 | 6-26 |
2023-24 Conference USA Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Sam Houston | 13-3 | - | 21-12 |
Louisiana Tech | 12-4 | 1 | 22-10 |
Western Kentucky | 8-8 | 5 | 22-12 |
Liberty | 7-9 | 6 | 18-14 |
UTEP | 7-9 | 6 | 18-16 |
Middle Tennessee | 7-9 | 6 | 14-19 |
New Mexico State | 7-9 | 6 | 13-19 |
Jacksonville State | 6-10 | 7 | 14-18 |
Florida International | 5-11 | 8 | 11-22 |