Written by: NMSU Athletic Dept.
HONOLULU, HI - New Mexico State senior center Hatila Passos recorded a career-high 25 points at Hawai’i, Thursday, Jan. 31. The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native had a stellar performance off the bench but the Aggies fell to the Rainbow Warriors 94-71.
Passos had a near double-double with nine rebounds to go along with a 9-for-12 shooting performance.
The Aggies had two other players in double-digits with freshman Herb Pope tallying a career-high 16 points while senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins added 11.
Head coach Marvin Menzies credited Hawai’i with a strong performance. He also said that Aggie miscues were a major factor in the game.
“They (Hawai’i) really played well,” he said. “Turnovers were the story of the game. The points off of turnovers gave them the momentum they needed. We just didn’t have it.”
At the break, the Aggies trailed 43-29. Hawkins and sophomore guard Jonathan Gibson led the team with seven points each. Passos came off the bench to add five points.
NMSU shot the ball well in the first half going 50 percent from the field but Aggies couldn’t fend off an 11-4 Hawai’i run. The rally gave the Rainbow Wahine a 31-19 lead at the 7:21 mark.
The Aggies cut the Hawai’i lead to 10 points, 57-47, in the second half with 10:03 left in the game on a jumper from Pope but the Rainbow Warriors answered with an 8-0 run.
NMSU continues its road trip Saturday, Feb. 2, when the Aggies meet San Jose State, at 8:00 p.m.
