San Diego State steals victory from New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Jene Morris had a steal and a fast-break layup in the final minute to help San Diego State hold off New Mexico (No. 23 AP), 57-52 Wednesday night.

New Mexico was down two with 32 seconds left, when Morris stole the ball from Amanda Best and went the other way to double the lead.

Paris Johnson led State Diego State (12-4, 3-1) with 17 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Quenese Davis added 11 points.

Amy Beggin led New Mexico (14-3, 3-1 Mountain West Conference) with 13 points. Beggin tried a 3-pointer that would have tied the game with 8 seconds remaining, but it was blocked by Jen Layton-Bailes.

The Lobos' time as a ranked team could be short. New Mexico reached the rankings at the end of December only to lose its next game by 32 points to then-No. 3 Texas A&M.

New Mexico disappeared from the rankings after that, but reappeared after winning its next three games.

The Aztecs controlled the tempo all night, keeping the Lobos' defense off balance with an inside-outside game.

A 21-5 run in the first half put SDSU up 29-17.

New Mexico rallied to close the gap in the final four minutes of the half. The Lobos trailed 33-29 at the break.

In the first 10 minutes of the second half, the game was tied four times before the Aztecs used a 7-0 surge to gain the lead for good. A 3-pointer from Davis started the run.

From 3-point range, San Diego State was 6-for-17. The Lobos hit only two of their 11 3-point attempts.