UH basketball team falls to New Mexico State on last-second shot
Advertiser Staff
Jahmar Young scored the last of his 26 points on an 18-foot jump shot with 0.9 seconds remaining to give New Mexico State a 71-69 victory over the University of Hawaii men's basketball team tonight.
A crowd of 3,068 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Warriors drop to 9-10 overall and 2-4 in the Western Athletic Conference with the heartbreaking loss. The Aggies improved to 12-7 overall and moved into a tie for first place in the WAC at 5-1.
Hawaii's Hiram Thompson tied the game at 69 with a 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining.
Without calling timeout, the Aggies got the ball to Young, who then dribbled to the right wing and launched his game-winner.
The loss overshadowed an outstanding game by Hawaii's Roderick Flemings. He finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds and had several highlight reel dunks.
The Aggies had a 13-12 lead early in the game, then Hawaii took control of the first half.
The ’Bows led by as many as 14 points late in the first half, and eventually took a 40-28 lead at intermission.
Flemings scored 15 points in the final 12 minutes of the first half to lead the Hawaii surge. The ’Bows closed the half with a 10-4 run, and Flemings provided the highlight with an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Hiram Thompson.
New Mexico State went on a stunning 16-0 run early in the second half to take a 45-42 lead with 15:05 remaining. The ’Bows committed four turnovers during that stretch.
The game stayed close the rest of the way.
Flemings provided another highlight in the second half, throwing down a one-handed alley-oop dunk off a pass from Jeremy Lay that tied the score at 53 with 7:54 remaining.
Hawaii's last lead was 66-65 on a putback by Flemings with 1:41 remaining.
The ’Bows played without junior guard Dwain Williams, who is mourning the death of a cousin. He is second on the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game, but has already missed five games this season for various reasons.
Hawaii will host Louisiana Tech in another WAC game on Saturday. San Jose State upset Louisiana Tech, 87-76, tonight. but the Bulldogs are still atop the WAC at 5-1.
