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New Mexico State beats CS Bakersfield 57-53 at WAC tourney

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LAS VEGAS (AP) Tshilidzi Nephawe had 19 points and 14 rebounds Friday night as top-seeded New Mexico State beat Cal State Bakersfield 57-53 in the Western Athletic Conference tournament semifinals.

The Aggies (22-10) advanced to their fourth consecutive WAC championship game on a 12-game winning streak and will face third-seeded Seattle on Saturday.

Daniel Mullins added 14 points and Pascal Siakam had 10 points and 10 boards.

Ian Baker's 3-pointer with 8:08 left gave New Mexico State its biggest lead and capped an 11-2 run at 50-39.

CS Bakersfield (14-19), the fourth-seed, responded with a 13-4 run to get back within two at 54-52 with 1:15 left. But Nephawe's putback at 33 seconds pushed New Mexico State to four. Jaylin Airington and Tyrell Corbin missed 3-point attempts in the final 19 seconds for the Roadrunners.

Aly Ahmed led Bakersfield with 21 points and Kevin Mays added 10.

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