LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Resiliency and key possessions on both ends of the floors led the New Mexico State men's basketball team to its first victory over a Power-5 opponent in 16 years Saturday night when it defeated Washington State out of the Pac-12 Conference 69-63 in the Pan American Center.
The win was NM State's first win over a Power-5 opponent at home since it defeated Colorado 75-71 at home on Nov. 27, 2002. It was also the third-consecutive year the Aggies have taken down a Power-5 foe.
"You know, again, proud of my guys," Aggie head coach
Chris Jans said postgame. "They found a way to win. That's what you got to do against good competition. Two games in a row, we're more of a defensive minded team and the score has been more like what I'm used to. Gave up 58 in our last road game and then tonight against a Pac-12 team that's averaging 85 we gave up 63 points."
NM State (6-1) got off to a nice start thanks to an 8-2 run on a pair of 3-pointers from
C.J. Bobbitt and
AJ Harris before the first round of subs came in.
After taking a commanding 24-12 lead over Wazzu (4-2), the Aggies saw their lead cut to 24-18 after a 6-0 run from the Cougars heading into the 7:54 media break. A misplayed series on the offensive end led to a 14-2 run for Washington State after Jervae Robinson drained a triple that forced the Aggie bench to call timeout.
The Cougars added a pair of bucket out of the media break and cut NM State's lead to 28-25 before a steal from
Shunn Buchanan led to a
JoJo Zamora fastbreak layup that broke a 5:09 minute scoring drought for NM State. A 12th turnover by WSU gave way to 3-ball from Bobbitt that gave the Aggies a 33-25 cushion heading into the locker room.
The cog to New Mexico State's lead at the break was converting those 12 WSU turnovers into a 12-0 advantage in points off turnovers.
New Mexico State saw its lead dwindle to just 38-35 at the 14:47 media break in the second half after a 10-5 run from Washington State. Viont'E Daniels then hit a 3-pointer for the Cougars at the 14:11 mark to tie it up at 38-38.
WSU had a chance to take its first lead of the game when Robert Franks got fouled in the paint. However, the Cougars' leading scorer missed both free-throws that led to a quick 5-2 run from NM State – which was capped off by a corner three from
Terrell Brown for the 43-40 lead with 11:26 remaining in the game.
Jabari Rice pushed the Aggie lead to 45-42 after knocking down a pair of free-throws before Washington State tied things up once again – this time on a three from Robinson 45-45.
Ivan Aurrecoechea then knocked a pair of shots from the charity stripe to make it 47-45 with 9:08 on the clock.
Washington State continued to chip away at the Aggie lead every time NM State would extend its lead. But, a solid night from the free-throw line (16-of-21). During the final 10 minutes of play, the Aggies wound up hitting 14-consecutive shots from the foul line before missing their second shot down the stretch. Those free-throws allowed New Mexico State to push its lead to 64-56 with 1:53 left in the game.
The Cougars brought it within 68-63 with 29 seconds left in the game on a jumper from Carter Skaggs, but there wasn't enough time on the clock or timeouts for WSU as NM State walked away with the 69-63 victory at home.
Bobbitt finished with a team-high 15 points with seven boards on 5-of-6 shooting. The 15 points was just two shy of his career-high of 17 from his time at Denver. Brown added 14 points of his own with five boards and pair of assists in the win, including a 6-of-6 night from the line. Harris rounded out the double-digit scorers for NM State with a dozen points while Buchanan dished out a season-high seven assists with three steals and three points.
BY THE NUMBERS
NM State forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 20 points on the night…Aggies won once again despite losing the battle of the boards, 34-31…NM State also outscored WSU 17-5 in fastbreak points…the last time the Aggies had three players reach double-figures in a game was against Grand Canyon in the WAC Tournament Championship game.
UP NEXT
New Mexico State's celebration over a Power-5 team at home will be short-lived as it turns its focus towards Battle of I-25 rival New Mexico. The Aggies and Lobos are set to square off next Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. (MT) inside the Pan American Center. Adam Young (
@youngpbp) will have the call while former Neil McCarthy assistant Rus Bradburd serves as the analyst on the broadcast.
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