LAS VEGAS - Even though there were still 10 minutes remaining, Hernst Laroche's 3-pointer while being hacked was a big reason New Mexico State avoided a massive collapse.
More importantly, the Aggies' hopes for a second NCAA tournament bid in the last three seasons are still alive.
Wendall McKines led five New Mexico State players in double figures with 22 points, Laroche's rare four-point play stemmed the University of Hawaii's rally from a 20-point deficit, and the Aggies held on for a 92-81 win over the Rainbow Warriors in the Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament semifinals on Friday.
Article Photos
Hawaii’s Jeremiah Ostrowski and New Mexico State’s Hernst Laroche battle for a loose ball during the Aggies’ 92-81 victory over the Rainbow Warriors on Friday in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
AP photo
Second-seeded New Mexico State (25-9) will face No. 5 seed Louisiana Tech in the final today.
"We've been working since August. We expected to get here," McKines said.
New Mexico State jumped out to 17-0 and 22-2 leads, but the sixth-seeded Rainbow Warriors were within single digits by halftime, then hit their first three shots of the second half and got as close as 61-60 with 10:35 left, but Laroche's momentum-turning basket followed - the foul was on Jeremiah Ostrowski.
"We cut that sucker to one, I thought that was a great sign," said UH coach Gib Arnold. "That kid hit the 3 and we foul them, it went to five really quick. That was not a good sign."
Shaquille Stokes scored 21 points for the Warriors (16-16), who will play in the Big West next season. Vander Joaquim added 17 points.
"To go up and battle against that team and have a chance to win there at the end was something that I am pleased with," Arnold said. "Whenever the bleeding stopped, I thought we started playing pretty good."
New Mexico State had beaten UH by 42 in Las Cruces on Feb. 23.
"For us to beat them the way that we did at our house the last time we played them and then to come out and play with this kind of passion speaks volumes to where (Arnold) has taken that program," Aggies coach Marvin Menzies said.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Friday's Results
MEN TOURNAMENT
Atlantic 10 Conference
Quarterfinals
Saint Louis 78, La Salle 71
St. Bonaventure 71, Saint Joseph's 68
Massachusetts 77, Temple 71
Xavier 70, Dayton 69
Atlantic Coast Conference
Quarterfinals
Duke 60, Virginia Tech 56
Florida St. 82, Miami 71
NC State 67, Virginia 64
North Carolina 85, Maryland 69
Big 12 Conference
Semifinals
Baylor 81, Kansas 72
Missouri 81, Texas 67
Big East Conference
Semifinals
Cincinnati 71, Syracuse 68
Louisville 64, Notre Dame 50
Big Ten Conference
Quarterfinals
Michigan 73, Minnesota 69, OT
Michigan St. 92, Iowa 75
Ohio St. 88, Purdue 71
Wisconsin 79, Indiana 71
Big West Conference
Semifinals
Long Beach St. 68, UC Irvine 57
UC Santa Barbara 64, Cal Poly 52
Conference USA
Semifinals
Marshall 73, Southern Miss. 62
Memphis 83, UCF 52
Great West Conference
Semifinals
NJIT 88, Utah Valley 78, OT
North Dakota 63, Texas-Pan American 59
Mid-American Conference
Semifinals
Akron 78, Kent St. 74
Ohio 77, Buffalo 74
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Semifinals
Bethune-Cookman 81, Hampton 72
Norfolk St. 58, Florida A&M 46
Mountain West Conference
Semifinals
New Mexico 72, UNLV 67
San Diego St. 79, Colorado St. 69
Pacific-12 Conference
Semifinals
Colorado 70, California 59
Oregon St. 72, Arizona 61
Southeastern Conference
Quarterfinals
Florida 66, Alabama 63
Kentucky 60, LSU 51
Mississippi 77, Tennessee 72, OT
Vanderbilt 63, Georgia 41
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Semifinals
MVSU 71, Ark.-Pine Bluff 64
Texas Southern 60, Alcorn St. 55
Western Athletic Conference
Semifinals
Louisiana Tech 78, Nevada 73
New Mexico St. 92, Hawaii 81
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WOMEN TOURNAMENT
Big 12 Conference
Semifinals
Baylor 86, Kansas St. 65
Texas A&M 79, Oklahoma 66
Big Sky Conference
Semifinals
Idaho St. 70, Sacramento St. 57
N. Colorado 51, Montana St. 43
Big South Conference
First Round
Charleston Southern 57, Campbell 53
High Point 78, Coastal Carolina 57
Liberty 71, UNC Asheville 50
Radford 62, Winthrop 56
Big West Conference
Semifinals
Long Beach St. 51, Cal Poly 48
UC Santa Barbara 84, Pacific 66
Colonial Athletic Association
Quarterfinals
Delaware 74, Old Dominion 54
Drexel 65, VCU 61
James Madison 64, George Mason 54
UNC Wilmington 94, Hofstra 87
Conference USA
Semifinals
Tulane 63, Memphis 44
UTEP 60, UAB 49
Great West Conference
Semifinals
North Dakota 88, Texas-Pan American 48
Utah Valley 63, NJIT 52
Horizon League
Semifinals
Detroit 78, Wright St. 70
Green Bay 73, Ill.-Chicago 53
Mid-American Conference
Semifinals
Cent. Michigan 69, Bowling Green 66
E. Michigan 59, Toledo 57
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Semifinals
Hampton 64, Coppin St. 43
Howard 51, Florida A&M 43
Missouri Valley Conference
Quarterfinals
Creighton 53, N. Iowa 46
Drake 56, Illinois St. 54
Missouri St. 58, Bradley 54
Wichita St. 70, Indiana St. 49
Mountain West Conference
Semifinals
New Mexico 51, Boise St. 50
San Diego St. 73, Wyoming 55
Pacific-12 Conference
Semifinals
California 64, Washington St. 49
Stanford 52, Arizona St. 43
Southland Conference
Championship
McNeese St. 60, Stephen F. Austin 56
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Semifinals
Grambling St. 67, Alcorn St. 41
Prairie View 58, MVSU 55
Western Athletic Conference
Semifinals
Fresno St. 80, Idaho 55
Louisiana Tech 73, Utah St. 69
