Remember the name: Lucas leads MSU to win

Junior guard scores 25 in 70-67 victory over New Mexico State

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Spokane, Wash. — If there was any doubt the New Mexico State men’s basketball team was unfamiliar with Kalin Lucas, the Aggies have since been enlightened.

Under the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament, No. 5 seed MSU’s junior guard dazzled through injury in the Spartans’ heart-pumping 70-67 first-round win Friday.

Lucas, playing with a re-injured right ankle, took the No. 12 Aggies for 25 points on a career performance at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash.

“Kalin was dynamite,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “They just kept trying to wear him down. He was hurt and, you know what? That’s the point guard I recruited. That’s the point guard that’s been here a couple years.”

The Spartans (25-8) advance to play No. 4 Maryland, who beat No. 13 Houston, 89-77, at 2:40 ET on Sunday for a trip to the Sweet 16 in St. Louis.

When the pairings were announced Sunday, the New Mexico State players — fresh off a WAC Tournament championship — were exceptionally bold in discussing the impending match-up with the back-to-back Big Ten champions.

In particular, Aggies guard Jahmar Young said he didn’t know who Lucas was. The two-time First Team All-Big Ten player said he found the comments “disrespectful.”

So, on Friday, the Aggies experienced the fury of Lucas scorned.

“It was personal,” Lucas said. “But at the same time, there was a lot of talking and I just went out there and proved myself. The team did, too.”

As effective as Lucas was, it was no walk in the park for the favored Spartans. The Aggies (22-12) refused to succumb after heading into the break trailing, 42-29, and clawed back to take a 53-52 lead on a 3-pointer from guard Gordo Castillo with 11:41 to go.

MSU did not relent, though, and while leading, 65-63, out of a timeout, junior guard Durrell Summers launched a jump shot from the corner which bounced off the rim to senior forward Raymar Morgan, who slammed it home with 1:54 to go, giving the Spartans a two-possession lead.

Fittingly, it was Young who fouled Lucas with 51.8 seconds to go — Young’s fifth foul of the game, ending his evening — sending the Spartans’ leading scorer to the line to again give MSU a four-point lead in the waning moments.

“The dude Lucas — Kalin Lucas is a great player,” Young said. “Did he make me eat my words? No, but he showed up and that’s what good players are supposed to do.”

Ultimately, it was Morgan’s free throws — and a second chance on a controversial lane violation call against the Aggies’ forward Troy Gillenwater — with 18.6 seconds remaining that sealed the deal.

“Did he step in on the lane violation? Because (official Ray Perone) called it? Yes, he stepped in the lane,” New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies said. “And it will be engraved in the NCAA stats forever. So it doesn’t matter whether it happened or not.”

As Lucas was almost singlehandedly keeping the Spartans neck-and-neck in the second half, he retreated to the arena tunnel with 6:31 remaining after apparently re-injuring the right ankle he sprained against Wisconsin on Feb. 2.

He returned shortly thereafter, in noticeable pain, when junior guard Chris Allen went down himself with an ankle injury. Allen did not return but both he and Lucas said after the game they would be ready for Sunday.

The Spartans are now 19-5 in NCAA Tournament opening games as they continue their quest to reach the Final Four in Indianapolis, which would be for the fourth time trekking through the Midwest region (1999, 2000, 2009).

Asked after the game if he thought the Aggies knew he was now, Lucas’ response was both brief and not required:

“Most definitely.”

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