LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) Zach Lofton scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds as New Mexico State beat UTEP 72-63 on Saturday night.
Sidy N'Dir added 13 points for the Aggies (4-1) and Johnathon Wilkins had 10.
New Mexico State finished the final five minutes of the first half on an 11-4 run kicked off by a Johnny McCants dunk that also included 3-pointers by Eli Chuha and Zach Lofton to lead 29-22 at the break.
UTEP tied it up 34-34 early in the second half but N'Dir and Wilkins replied with back-to-back 3-pointers and Lofton added a three-point play to give the Aggies a 43-34 edge with 15:38 left. The Miners (1-4) closed to 55-49 with 5:07 to play but a Lofton layup helped push the Aggies' lead back into double figures, 64-53, with 3:07 remaining.
Evan Gilyard and Paul Thomas scored 14 points apiece for UTEP. Keith Frazier and Omega Harris each added 13.
