N'Dir leads New Mexico State past Chicago State 78-67

Feb 23, 2018, 05:17 am

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Sidy N'Dir scored 15 points, nine coming at the foul line, and Jemerrio Jones tossed in 12 as Western Athletic Conference leader New Mexico State led most of the way to defeat Chicago State 78-67 Thursday night.

Jones scored 10 of his points after halftime as the Aggies widened a three-point lead.

New Mexico State (23-5, 10-2 Western Athletic Conference) rebounded from back-to-back losses and still leads Utah Valley (9-3) by a game with two to play.

Fred Simms Jr. hit a 3-pointer and Deionte Simmons added a pair of free throws as the Cougars closed the first half on a 5-1 clip to trail 39-36. Montana Byrd opened the second half with a pair of 3s to tie 39-39 and 42-42 before Jones kicked off a 16-0 run that put the game away.

Jones scored six points in the five-minute rally, Johnny McCants dunked twice and Keyon Jones added a 3-pointer.

Sims led Chicago State (2-27, 0-12) with a season-high 30 points, making 9 of 11 3-pointers.

If New Mexico State maintains its lead, these teams would meet again in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals March 8.