Seattle University and New Mexico State exchanged the lead 14 times and were tied 15 times, but the Aggies were able to establish a lead in the second overtime and hold on for an 83-82 victory over the Redhawks Thursday night in Western Athletic Conference men's basketball action at KeyArena at Seattle Center.
Seattle U went on a 10-2 scoring run in the second half to establish its biggest lead of the game at 54-46, but the Aggies scored six unanswered points to close their deficit down to two, and a traditional three-point play by Tyrone Watson with 4:14 remaining in regulation tied the game at 60-60.
Watson would score the next two Aggie baskets to give New Mexico State a two-point advantage, but Clarence Trent (Tacoma, Wash.) hit a three-pointer with 39 seconds remaining to put Seattle U ahead by one, 65-64. After D'Vonne Pickett Jr. (Seattle, Wash.) made two free throws to extend the Redhawk lead to three, Bandja Sy hit a three-pointer with seven seconds left to tie the game at 67-67, sending it into overtime.
New Mexico State (9-8, 3-2 WAC) scored the first six points of the first overtime period thanks to two baskets by Watson and two free throws from Sy. A dunk by Prince Obasi (Reseda, Calif.), followed by the senior making one of two free throws, closed the Redhawk deficit to three, and Chad Rasmussen (University Place, Wash.) hit a three-pointer with 20 seconds left to cause the 15th tie of the game at 73-73. New Mexico State turned the ball over, but Obasi missed his shot as time expired, sending the contest into a second overtime session.
After Pickett made one of two free throws, New Mexico State scored the next six points, four of them by Watson, to take a 79-74 lead with just over one minute remaining in the second overtime period. A layup by Louis Green (Westchester, Ill.) and one free throw from Trent brought the Redhawks to within two, but K.C. Ross-Miller went 3-for-4 from the free throw line to extend the Aggies' lead back to five points.
Rasmussen hit a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to bring Seattle U back within two at 82-80, and Allen Tate (Hobbs, N.M.) was able to pull down the rebound on a missed free throw by Sy to give the Redhawks a chance to tie the game. Rasmussen and Obasi each missed three-point attempts, and a layup by Green came just as the buzzer sounded.
"I credit them (New Mexico State) for hanging around, getting the offensive rebound, and hitting the last shot (in regulation)," Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. "We hate to keep losing these games like this, but we have to do a better job of finishing games."
Trent and Obasi each finished with 15 points and notched their first double-doubles of the season, with Obasi pulling down 11 rebounds and Trent grabbing 10 rebounds. Green once again established a career high in scoring with 15 points of his own, plus he pulled down eight rebounds, and Pickett contributed 13 points in a team-high 45 minutes on the floor.
Watson shot 10-of-18 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line to finish with 26 points, six rebounds, five assists, seven steals, and two blocked shots. Sy contributed 23 points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots, and Daniel Mullings earned 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. All three players saw 47 minutes of playing time during the double-overtime contest. Sim Bhullar, a 7-5 freshman, was held to five points but did pull down a team-high 11 rebounds and blocked two shots.
Seattle U shot 40.0 percent (32-of-80) from the field, including 7-of-25 from behind the three-point line, and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the free throw line. The Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 54-47, including 26 offensive rebounds, but the home team committed 26 turnovers that led to 27 Aggie points.
New Mexico State shot 40.5 percent (30-of-74) from the field, including 3-of-10 from behind the three-point line, and 64.5 percent (20-of-31) from the free throw line, including 8-of-10 in the two overtime periods. The Aggies extended their winning streak to three games, while the Redhawks have now lost four games in a row.
Seattle University (5-9, 0-4 WAC) hosts the University of Denver Saturday afternoon, Jan. 12, starting at 3:30 p.m. in a game broadcast by 770 AM KTTH and ROOT SPORTS. The Pioneers come into the game with a 4-1 conference record after defeating Idaho Thursday night, 55-49.