NMSU wins 9th straight game after beating UC Irvine in OT

The New Mexico State Aggies overcame a 3 for 17 shooting performance from star Ian Baker en route to their ninth straight win, an 85-79 decision in overtime against UC Irvine Monday night at the Pan American Center.

The Aggies (11-2) found themselves down early thanks to the hot shooting of UC Irvine’s Jaron Martin, who connected on seven threes and scored a game-high 33 points.

The Anteaters (5-8) took a one-point lead into halftime. The second half proved to be hard-fought as well with the teams trading baskets down to the very end.

The Aggies got a strong performance from Jemerrio Jones to keep them in the game in the second half. Jones tallied 23 points and 18 rebounds.

The two teams were tied at 72 with just under five seconds to go when UC Irvine’s Martin tried to make a move near the top of the key but was called for a traveling violation.

NMSU had under one second to try to get a game-winner off in regulation, but was unable to get a clean look, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Braxton Huggins rose to the occasion, scoring eight of his team-high 24 points.

Huggins connected on back-to-back threes to give NMSU a six-point lead midway through overtime, effectively putting the game out of reach.

The Aggies made enough free throws down the stretch to ice the game and take a nine-game winning streak into an eight-day break. NMSU also remained perfect at home this season, improving to 8-0 at the Pan American Center.

NMSU returns to action on Dec. 27 against Eastern New Mexico.