Lofton leads New Mexico St past CSU Bakersfield 66-53

Jan 14, 2018, 06:28 am

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Zach Lofton poured in 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Eli Chuha added 16 points and seven rebounds to guide New Mexico State to a 66-53 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday night.

Lofton connected on 4 of 7 from 3-point range and hit all eight of his free throws for the Aggies (15-3, 3-0 Western Athletic Conference). New Mexico State led just 26-25 at halftime, but the Aggies shot 50 percent (13 of 26) from the floor in the second half and hit 10 of 12 free throws to pull away for the victory. New Mexico State has won four straight and nine of its last 10.

Rickey Holden topped the Roadrunners (7-11, 0-3) with 13 points, while Jarkel Joiner and Justin Davis scored 11 and 10, respectively. CS Bakersfield, the defending WAC champion, has lost five in a row.

Holden knocked down a 3-pointer and Shon Briggs made 1 of 2 free throws to give Bakersfield a 33-30 lead with 15 1/2 minutes left in the game. But Lofton did all the scoring -- three 3s and a pair of free throws -- in an 11-0 run to push the Aggies' lead to 41-33 midway through the period and they coasted from there.