Jahmar Young's game-winner pushes New Mexico State past Nevada and into WAC championship game

Jahmar Young’s jumper with five seconds left gave the New Mexico State Aggies an 80-79 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack and punched the Aggies’ ticket to the WAC championship game where they will face top-seeded Utah State.

Nevada’s Luke Babbitt scored 33 points, including two clutch free throws to give the Wolf Pack a 79-78 lead late, but teammate Armon Johnson came up empty on Nevada’s last shot, silencing the partisan crowd at Reno’s Lawlor Events Center.

New Mexico State’s Young was ice cold for much of the night, finishing 4-of-15 from the floor and scoring 15 points. But he came up big when the Aggies needed him. Four of Young’s 15 came in the final minute of the game with a pair of free throws and the game-winning bucket. The Aggies were led by Troy Gillenwater’s 21 points; fellow big man Wendell McKines added 16.

New Mexico State and Utah State will square off at 7:00 p.m. PST Saturday in the WAC championship game. NMSU is one of only two WAC teams to beat Utah State this season, winning 55-52 back on January 2.