Postgame Press Conference
LAS VEGAS - If there was a punch to be taken through the 2020-21 season, the NM State men's basketball team took it - most of the time on the chin.
First it was a forced to relocate out of state to do something as simple as practice due to a public health order in the state of New Mexico. Then, 65-straight days away from home while putting together a non-conference schedule. And after that some pauses due to COVID-19.
Still, the Aggies battled, showing unparalleled levels of resiliency and toughness every single day. The same qualities were there for a full 40 minutes Saturday night at the Orleans Arena, leaving the Aggies and their supporters very little to hand their heads about at the end of the night.
Evan Gilyard II pumped in a season and team-high 18 points and WAC All-Tournament Team pick Donnie Tillman delivered 11 more, but NM State couldn't match the size, rebounding ability and sheer shot-making of Grand Canyon as the Aggies dropped a 74-56 decision to the Lopes in the WAC Tournament title game.
FIRST HALF
• Hoping to spring a second-straight upset in the WAC Tournament, NM State came out swinging with back-to-back buckets from Tillman and Gilyard II through the first 1:41. The Aggies' lead, however, proved to be short-lived.
• Jovan Blacksher Jr., countered the Aggies' 4-0 run by netting five of the Lopes' points through their 9-5 surge which tied the game with 13:46 left in the frame.
• His short jumper was both the response to a Jabari Rice three-pointer as well as the starting point of a 12-0 surge by the Lopes. The Aggies went 0-for-5 from the field during Grand Canyon's run and found it near impossible to get back within single digits after that.
• Rice's second three-pointer of the half came with 3:48 to go in the frame and pulled his team within eight, 29-21, but again the Lopes came in with a haymaker.
• Four players put in points during Grand Canyon's 12-5 run over the last 3:21 of the frame. Blacksher Jr., had his marks all over that run, too, netting another five points during it.
• Trailing 41-26 at the break, the Aggies were just 10-of-30 (33.3-percent) from the field in the frame and were on the wrong end of a 20-11 rebounding margin. Blacksher Jr., finished with 15 points in the frame alone while Gilyard II and Tillman countered with eight and seven respectively.
SECOND HALF
• Trying to come out strong, the Aggies could not find and sort of foothold on offense against the Lopes. Grand Canyon hiked its lead to as many as 19 points, 63-44, before all was said and done.
• Triples by Gilyard II on back-to-back Aggie possessions cut the Lopes' lead down to 63-50 with 4:58 to go, but NM State put in just one more field goal from that point on.
• Grand Canyon iced the game by going 9-for-9 at the foul line through the last 2:22.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• The Aggies lost the battle of the boards to the towering Lopes by a 39-25 margin and put up shooting splits of .364/.281/.778 in the setback.
• Blacksher Jr's energy was evident from the get-go as he wrapped up with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Asbjørn Midtgaard contributed 12 points as well as a game-high eight rebounds in the Lopes first WAC Tournament title game victory.
• NM State, who was making its 10th-straight appearance in the WAC Tournament title bout, saw its 11-game winning streak in league tournament tilts come to an end.
• Aggie head coach Chris Jans suffered his first setback in the WAC Tournament, too, dropping to 8-1 all-time in the league's postseason tourney.
• Tillman was joined on the WAC All-Tournament Team by Midtgaard, Seattle U's Darrion Trammell, Utah Valley's Trey Woodbury and Blacksher Jr., the Tournament MVP.
COMING UP NEXT
• The Aggies' 2020-21 season comes to a close with their loss to the Lopes. NM State, who never played a home game due to in-state restrictions in the state of New Mexico throughout the early stages of the year, finishes the campaign with a 12-8 record which included a 7-6 record in WAC action.
++NM State++
