Siakam's monster night leads New Mexico St over UTEP 73-59

Dec 3, 2016, 12:07 am

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Pascal Siakam scored 24 points, grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds and tallied five blocks, leading New Mexico State to a 73-59 win over UTEP in the Battle of I-10 Wednesday night.

Siakam's 20-20 game is the fourth in Division I this season. He recorded a double-double in both halves.

New Mexico State (5-2) opened the game on a 10-0 run and led by as many as 16 points in the first half.

But the Miners (6-1) chipped away at an eight-point halftime deficit, cutting the Aggies' lead to four with an Earvin Morris 3-pointer to make it 51-47 with 10:51 left.

Jalyn Pennie responded with a dunk and tip-in for New Mexico State, helping the Aggies quickly build their lead back to double digits.

Ian Baker had 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting for New Mexico State, which led in second-chance points 17-1, thanks largely to Siakam's 10 offensive rebounds.

Dominic Artis had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting for UTEP.