NMSU’s rally comes up short in loss to Stephen F. Austin, 75-72

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - It was another nail biting game for the New Mexico State Aggies that unfortunately led to another loss.

Tuesday night, the Aggies lost their second game in row after falling to the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, 75-72.

(Courtesy: NMSU Athletics)

After coming off a tough home loss to their in-state rivals New Mexico, the Aggies were looking to build momentum and get their first road win of the season against Stephen F. Austin.

The game started with both teams going back and forth. After SFA took a 34-22 lead at halftime, the Lumberjacks came out with their foot pedal and got their biggest lead of the night of 17 points with 15:52 left in the second half of play.

Over the next 13 minutes of play, the Aggies managed to bring the score within two points three separate times in the second half, with the last one being with 1:47 left on the game clock.

One final free throw from SFA sealed the win for them in the waning seconds 75-72.   
 

Christian Cook lead all Aggies with 14 points while adding three rebounds.

The only other Aggies to reach double figures were Suggs and Carpenter who both put up 11 points.

The Aggies were outrebounded by 10 on the offensive glass which led to the Lumberjacks scoring 17 second-chance points compared to the Aggie's seven.

NM State managed to stay in the game despite SFA maintaining the lead 32 minutes of the game. 

FIRST HALF   

• It was a struggle to score the ball early for the Aggies as they opened the game just 1-of-10 from the field. Fortunately, the Aggie defense also made it difficult for SFA to get on the board as the home side started the game 2-for-9 from the field.    
• Eventually, Clarence "Monzy" Jackson helped get the Aggies going as he knocked down a pair of triples from the right side of the floor to assist in giving the Aggies an 11-9 lead with just over 13 minutes remaining in the first half.    
• Later in the half, SFA was able to put together a 15-2 run to take a 22-17 advantage with 2:25 remaining on the clock. During this run, the Aggies were held scoreless for a stretch that extended for over seven minutes of game time.   
• Despite the drought, the Aggies figured out a way to pull within six after former Lumberjack Jaylin Jackson-Posey knocked down a 3-pointer to register his first points in his return to The Sawmill. Unfortunately, SFA was able to knock down back-to-back threes to end the half and carry a 12-point lead into the break.   
• Both defenses were stout in the first half as NM State shot just 26.7% from the field while the 'Jacks connected on 28.1% of its shot attempts. The big difference in the first half was SFA's ability to get to the line as they were able to get to take 17 trips to the free-throw line, connecting on 12 of their tries. Meanwhile, the Aggies were just 3-of-4 from the charity stripe in the first half. This was a change of pace from the norm for the Aggies as they entered the game ranked 58th in the nation in free-throw attempts per game – averaging over 22 free throw attempts per game.   

SECOND HALF   

• Following a three from Brandon Suggs, the Aggies were able to cut the deficit to single digits just two minutes into the second period. However, SFA would respond by going on an 8-0 scoring run to take a 17-point lead with 15:52 remaining in the game.   
• The 17-point hole would be the largest deficit the Aggies would face as Femi Odukale capped off a quick 7-2 run for the Aggies with a dunk that put the Aggies back within 12 points.   
• Later, a three-pointer from Jaden Harris would help start a 10-2 Aggie run that reduced the Lumberjack lead to just six points with more than eight minutes remaining on the clock.   
• A combination of tough defense and improved shooting would pull the Aggies all the way within one possession with over five minutes left on the clock. With the momentum fully shifted in favor of the Aggies, NM State used one final push to cut the lead to just two points with 1:46 left on the clock.   
• Unfortunately, just one SFA free throw would be the only point scored during the closing moments of the game – leaving the Aggies with a three-point road loss at the final buzzer.  

Numbers of Note  

• Christian Cook went 100% from the free throw line for the fifth time this season when taking at least three attempts.   
• Jordan Rawls had his season-high in turnovers tonight vs SFA with six total.