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Jason Hooten was having a long talk with a referee.
It wasn’t a pretty one either. Senior guard Christian Cook had a shot blocked with 4:09 left to play, and New Mexico State’s coach wanted a foul called on Abilene Christian’s Ma’shy Hill when graduate student forward Robert Carpenter received one for a similar arm hook seconds before.
He received a technical foul. Nearly three minutes later, the same thing happened.
Argument. Technical. Hooten was gone. Moments later on Wednesday evening, the Aggies (3-5) left Pan American Center with a 78-70 loss to Abilene Christian (6-3).
Hooten apologized to NM State fans afterward, saying he was just sticking up for his players.
“I really didn’t mean to get kicked out of the game. That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me, so I apologize to Aggie nation,” Hooten said. “I thought one of our guys got his arm hooked, and I thought the play before that… we took the same shot and didn’t get that same call. You’re always going to fight for your kids, and that’s what I was doing there.”
Hooten’s second technical foul came after a foul on senior forward Nate Tshimanga with 1:35 left, and he once again believed the game wasn’t being officiated consistently.
“I didn’t curse at the referee. I just disagreed with the call,” said Hooten, the only NM State representative to speak after the loss. “Sometimes, you get a technical foul because you believe your kids aren’t getting the same whistle, and that’s what I felt like tonight.”
It compounded an already somber second half for the Aggies. The Wildcats couldn’t miss, draining 72.4% of their shots and 71.2% of their 3-point attempts after trailing 30-27 at halftime. ACU’s Hunter Jack Madden was a hassle, scoring 21 of his 24 points in the second half with five 3-pointers.
NM State tried to keep pace, but couldn’t. ACU led by as many as 14 and outscored the Aggies 51-40 after halftime.
NM State is on a cold spell with five straight losses after a 3-0 start. The Aggies’ next opponent…
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Author : Las Cruces Sun-News
Publish date : 2024-12-05 12:26:00
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