In their final home game before a long holiday road trip, the New Mexico State Aggies defended their unbeaten record against the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders and it was simply peak basketball.
From tip-off, it was non-stop excitement for Aggie fans, starting with a 10 to 3 run from NMSU. But one unpopular call after another from the referees paved the road to an Islanders comeback with free throws with a reign of boos to go with them.
Even though no Aggie scored above 10 points individually, the team still steadily grew the lead to a 48-32 score come halftime.
The second half began with more of the same, with the scoring trio of Carl Cherenfant, Robert Carpenter, and Peter Filipovity getting the lead past the 20-point mark. But little did the crowd know, the game had just begun.
It started slow for the Islanders, with back-to-back threes,’ but that’s when things got scary. Jaden Walker hit a three pointer to whittle the lead down to nine before an Isaac Williams’ layup led to a timeout to stop the bleeding. Christian Cook tried to seize back momentum with a layup, but it just wasn’t enough.
The Islanders were not about to let up as Walker struck back with free throws before a jump ball went against the Aggies with just over two minutes left.
The avalanche of bad luck continued with a goal tending call and an Owen Dease three pointer. Damarion Dennis got the Islanders within five points of the Aggies who got Aggie fans on their feet. Williams showed great awareness, catching a missed free throw and making the put-back to make it a three -point game.
NMSU guard Dionte Bostick commented after the game on what the players were telling each other on the court.
“Just stay relaxed,” he said, “Don’t want to get too nervous or anxious during those type of moments. I feel like when I relax, that’s when I play my best. So, we just wanted to come together and finish the game.”
Bostick truly was feeling Zen, because when the team needed a hero, Cook threw a perfect cross court pass to a wide open Bostick under the basket. He slammed in the dunk to the sound of thunderous cheers to essentially seal the victory, but the game still hung in the balance.
“It felt amazing,” he said. “I still can’t explain how I feel right now. Feels amazing during that moment. [I] feel glad to put that game away, grab a [win] and move on.”
While the confidence from the Aggies radiated from within, at this point in the game, the victory was not clinched just yet. The Islanders got within two points with free throws from Williams. With only seven seconds left, it was time to trade fouls for free throws. Cook stepped up to the line first but only made one.
With only seven seconds left and a three-point lead, the game hung in the balance of being one shot away from overtime or victory for the Aggies. The stakes couldn’t have been higher.
The ball was inbounded and it was a mad dash to the three-point line by the Islanders and they took their shot. The ball silences the arena while drifting toward the basket, but it bounces off the rim and the crowd explodes after a stressful 83-82 win for New Mexico State.
NMSU Head Coach Jason Hooten kept things plain and simple after the game.
“We just talked about it in the locker room. We feel blessed to win that game,” Hooten said. “They’ve had a tough schedule at New Mexico, at Purdue, they’ve been behind in all those games and come back. So, we knew that they were going to, but we’re just not at that point yet where we’re mature enough to understand that and it takes time.”
The Aggies begin their road trip Wednesday Nov. 20, taking on the Dayton Flyers at 5 p.m., The game will stream on ESPN+ for fans to support from home.
