LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The only thought running through Jabari Rice's mind over the course of the final 6.5 seconds Saturday evening was his last shot against New Mexico back on Nov. 21, 2019.
A three-pointer that rimmed out at the end. One that would have given the Aggies a win over their biggest rivals.
Given another chance in a similar situation nearly three months later, Rice knew failure wasn't an option a second time.
Playing in front of the team that put New Mexico State on the map a half-century ago with its run to the Final Four, Rice banked home a game-winning three-pointer with 0.6 seconds to go to cap a wild 84-82 come-from-behind victory for the Aggies over WAC foe Utah Valley inside the Pan Am Center.
Already special enough with the members of NM State's 1969-70 Final Four team in attendance, the moment was made even more so as Aggie head coach Chris Jans secured his 100th career NCAA Division I head coaching victory thanks to Rice's last-second game-winner.
FIRST HALF
• A sluggish start hindered the Aggies' ability to get their crowd into things as Utah Valley opened up a pair of five-point leads before the midway point of the half. Brandon Averette's jumper with 11:39 to go increased the Wolverines' edge to 15-10 and Jamison Overton's made matters 17-12 with 11:01 to go.
• The start of a 9-4 NM State run came from Philly's finest. Will McNair hit one of his two free throws to start a surge that culminated with a three-pointer by Rice that knotted matters at 21 with 8:15 to go in the half.
• NM State regained the lead when Ivan Aurrecoechea threw down a powerful two-handed jam which was part of a 9-0 Aggie surge to put the home team ahead 30-25 with 5:05 left.
• The Aggies lead bulged to eight points before the half came to a close. Aurrecoechea operated down low once again and converted a jumper with 27 ticks left that put the home team on top 40-32. Casdon Jardine's layup right before the halftime horn, however, cut NM State's lead to 40-34 at the half.
• Rice (12) and Aurrecoechea (eight) combined for 20 points in the opening frame while Isaiah White generated 10 for the Wolverines.
SECOND HALF
• Eager to open things up in the deciding frame, the Aggies pushed their lead to double-digits for the first time when Aurrecoechea corralled an offensive rebound and converted a put-back layup to make matters 54-44 with 14:04 left.
• That layup capped a 6-0 run by the home team, and things still remained fine for the Aggies after Shawn Williams' three pushed their lead back to nine, 59-50, with 11:39 to go. That's when things turned interesting, though.
• TJ Washington's long ball just inside the midway point of the frame finished a 7-2 surge by the Wolverines that trimmed the Aggies' lead to four, 61-57. NM State, however, answered with an 8-4 spurt featuring five points from Rice to make their lead 69-61 with 8:02 to go.
• That run proved to be the last time the Aggies' side of the scoreboard lit up for quite some time. Utah Valley retaliated with a 12-0 run through the next 3:24 to open up a 73-69 edge with 4:09 left.
• Jamison Overton capped the crowd-quieting surge with a fast-break jam but it was the long-range ways of Casdon Jardine that really fueled things. The sharpshooter nailed a pair of triples through the surge to help power the Wolverines' upset bid.
• Finally it was McCants who ended a scoreless stretch of nearly four minutes by the home team. The junior started a 7-0 Aggie run with a pair of free throw makes and Rice swirled in a wing three-pointer with 2:40 remaining that pushed the home team's edge to 76-73.
• Through the Wolverines clawed back to tie things after a dunk and a free throw, two more free throw makes from Rice followed up with a driving layup by Aurrecoechea pushed the home team's lead to 80-76 with 1:53 left.
• Utah Valley continued its assault on the tin, though, using two free throw makes by Isaiah White and a seemingly backbreaking three-point play by Washington with 6.5 seconds left put the Aggies at an 82-81 disadvantage. The rest, as they say, is history.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Rice closed out his unforgettable night with a game and career-high 29 points while Aurrecoechea (18), Evan Gilyard II (13) and McCants (11) each finished with double-digits, too.
• White put in a team-high 21 for Utah Valley and was one of five Wolverines in double figures.
• The teams shot an identical 30-of-52 (57.7-percent) from the floor, but the Aggies held an edge from downtown. NM State put in 50-percent (10-of-20) of its three-point tries compared to a Utah Valley squad that operated at a 35-percent (7-of-20) efficiency rate from that distance.
• With four regular season games to go, NM State maintained its three-game lead for the top spot in the WAC standings.
• Jans became the 27th-fastest NCAA Division I head coach in the history of the sport to get to the 100-win mark with Saturday's night's thrilling victory.
• All nine of the remaining living members of the Aggies' 1969-70 Final Four team were in attendance. Also at the Pan Am Center were former assistant coaches Rob Evans and Keith Colson as well as Lori Henson - daughter of legendary Aggie coach Lou Henson.
COMING UP NEXT
• NM State closes out its longest home stand of the season Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. by playing host to the second-hottest team in the WAC in UTRGV. The Vaqueros will rumble into the Pan Am Center with a five-game winning streak after taking down Seattle U (who has lost back-to-back games) in Edinburg hours after Rice sank Utah Valley.
++NM State++
