Cameron Bairstow scored 17 points to lead No. 20 New Mexico to a 64-58 victory over No. 8 San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference championship game Saturday, giving the Lobos the automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
Trailing by one with a little more than one minute left in the game, Bairstow -- selected as the tournament's MVP -- scored five of the Lobos' last eight points to help the Lobos win their third consecutive tournament title.
New Mexico had its five-point halftime lead disappear when the Aztecs opened the second half on an 8-0 run, to take a 30-27 lead.
After the Lobos tied it at 30 apiece, the teams exchanged baskets over the next five minutes, until Hugh Greenwood sparked a 12-5 run by scoring seven of the Lobos' points midway through the second half.
Kendall Williams added 16 for the Lobos, and Greenwood had 12.
San Diego State was led by Xavier Thames, who scored 15 points.
The No. 2 seed in the Mountain West tournament is 6-0 all-time when playing the No. 1 seed.
