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Jan. 2, 2025, started chaotically for New Mexico State athletics.
It ended with Aggies basketball turning it into a lively evening.
NM State’s athletics program was turned on its head Thursday morning with the firing of former athletic director Mario Moccia. But inside the Pan American Center hours later, you wouldn’t know anything had happened at all.
The arena was rocking like it hadn’t all season, and 3,913 fans tuned in to watch the Aggies take down Sam Houston 75-71 in its conference opener on Thursday evening.
Neither team led by more than four points in the final 11:16 of the game, and two key shots propelled NM State (8-6, 1-0 Conference USA) to a victory. Senior guard first Christian Cook hit a fadeaway from mid-range over multiple Bearkat defenders with 1:14 left to put the Aggies up 69-65. Then with 15 seconds left, fellow senior guard Zawdie Jackson hit an acrobatic and-one floater to send a crowd into a frenzy and all but assure an NM State victory, up 71-67.
The two had opposite games, with Cook lighting up the box score with a team-high 25 points and Jackson only recording six points on 2-for-9 shooting. But when it mattered most, both showed up.
“I cam off a high-ball screen, and I saw (Sam Houston’s Kalifa Sakho) was playing back the whole game, so I knew I could get to the medium,” Cook said of his play. “That’s kind of my shot. I know I can get it any time I want to and I saw the big was all the way back, so he let me take it.”
NM State coach Jason Hooten admitted it wasn’t Jackson’s best night, but praised him for showing poise in crunch time.
“Zawdie is a winner,” Hooten said. “I think Zawdie is gonna play a lot better on Saturday afternoon. But, what can you say? He made a winning play, because he is a winner and a guy that I want on my team.”
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[ad_2]Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mexico-state-basketball-solved-adversity-133816961.html
Author : Las Cruces Sun-News
Publish date : 2025-01-03 13:38:00
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