ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sophomore guard Abel Porter hit the game-winning 3-pointer from the left wing with 1.6 seconds left to lift Utah State to a heart-stopping 68-66 victory over New Mexico on Saturday afternoon at Dreamstyle Arena at The Pit.
 
Porter, who finished with six points, a career-high six rebounds, and four assists, helped the Aggies (15-5, 5-2 Mountain West) extend their winning streak to four.
 
Utah State junior guard Sam Merrill scored a game-high 22 points for Utah State, which won for the first time at New Mexico since the 2014-15 campaign. Redshirt freshman guard Brock Miller was the only other Aggie to finish in double figures as he scored 16, including knocking down four of his five 3-point shots.
 
Carlton Bragg led New Mexico (9-11, 3-5 MW) with 18 points, while Anthony Mathis added 16 – all coming in the second half. Two other Lobos scored in double figures as Vance Jackson scored 13, while Makuach Maluach had 12.
 
USU freshman center Neemias Queta had eight points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes of action, while senior forward Quinn Taylor also had eight points.
 
Jackson hit a 3-pointer with 2:56 remaining in the game to give the hosts a 66-64 lead, but those proved to be the final points the Lobos scored the rest of the way. UNM shot 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-1 from the free throw line down the stretch, and turned it over once.
 
A free throw by Taylor pulled the Aggies to within 66-65 with 1:25 left. Bragg could not convert on the other end with 55 seconds to go, and then after Merrill misfired from 3-point range, the Lobos turned it over with 31 seconds remaining.
 
Porter made sure New Mexico pay when he took a pass from Merrill and calmly sank the 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds to go. Following a timeout, Mathis misfired a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer, which preserved the win for the Aggies.
 
Utah Shot 49.1 percent from the field (27-of-55), including 50.0 percent (9-of-18) from beyond the arc. However, the Aggies struggled from the charity stripe, making just 45.5 percent of their shots (5-of-11).
 
The Aggies outrebounded the Lobos 37-31, and had 16 assists on their 27 baskets.
 
Utah State held New Mexico to 39.7 percent shooting (23-of-58), including 33.3 percent from downtown (8-of-24).
 
The Lobos scored the first two points of the game on a jumper by Bragg, but Utah State scored the next nine points of the game, including four points by Queta on a pair of dunks.
 
The Aggies led by as many as 14 in the first half on two occasions, the final time coming at 27-13 with 4:27 to go following a dunk by senior forward Dwayne Brown Jr. Merrill scored on a layup with four seconds left to send Utah State into the break with a 36-27 lead.
 
Utah State shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) in the first half to build its nine-point lead at the break. Conversely, New Mexico shot a dismal 27.6 percent (8-of-29) during the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Utah State will open a two-game home stand on Wednesday, Jan. 30, when the Aggies welcome San Jose State to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. (MT).
 
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