Missed free throws come back to bite NMSU in CUSA quarterfinal defeat to Kennesaw State
For the time being, Jae'Coby Osborne had his moment.
New Mexico State was down three points to Kennesaw State with 16.5 seconds left in a Conference USA Tournament quarterfinal. There wasn't going to be a quick 2-pointer; the Aggies were going to try and tie it now.
A play had been drawn for Robert Carpenter, who had a team-high 21 points and five 3-pointers, to tie the game. His 3-point shot missed, but Osborne fought hard for a rebound and an and-one basket. He flexed in celebration. NM State had the momentum as the freshman went to the charity stripe.
Clink.
Osborne missed the free throw.
Just a brutal way to go out. pic.twitter.com/J8QGxO14lb
— Brett Walker (@bwalker2004) March 14, 2025
The Aggies suddenly needed to rally again. The Owls' Adrian Wooley was intentionally fouled, and he made two free throws before Christian Cook found space for a half-court heave.
Off the backboard. Off the rim. Out. NM State will head back to Las Cruces empty-handed with an 80-77 defeat.
"Just a hard-fought game. Two teams that (were) pretty evenly matched throughout the season," said Aggies coach Jason Hooten. "I knew that this game would probably come down to what it did."
Osborne's missed free throw wasn't why NM State (17-15) fell to KSU (19-13) but rather a visible example of an overarching problem across the contest. The Aggies couldn't make free throws. They missed more than they made in the first half with seven misses on 13 attempts, and missed five more in the second half for 12 total missed free throws.
Osborne wasn't the only one who missed a crucial free throw down the stretch, as Carpenter missed one with 19 seconds left that could've put NM State down only 77-75 since Rongie Gordon also made only one of two free throws for KSU on the ensuing possession.
The end result was close, but the Aggies could've been closer.
"That was tough," Hooten said about the free throws. "I think if we would have made about four or five more of those, then it would have been a different outcome. It's not what we wanted. We really felt like we had the kind of team that could win this thing."
NM State has improved this season. It went from 13-19 to 17-15, earned a higher seed in the CUSA Tournament and held offenses to a conference second-best 65.9 points per game compared to a conference third-worst 72.4 points per game last season. The Aggies' quarterfinal exit means they finished with the same CUSA Tournament result as last season, but progress was made in the 2024-25 campaign.
Compared to where NM State was two years ago, Hooten is pleased with where his team stands.
"I remember sitting here this time last year with a lot of vengeance, on a mission, and I feel like we're getting that mission accomplished," Hooten said. "(I) took this job and basically had to completely restart it. I told our guys that it's kind of like building a house. We started from the ground floor... I know it's not what Aggie Nation wants. It's not what I want, but I'm really proud of where we're at in this program right now.
"We won 17 games. We improved by four games in one year, and that was when we just completely restarted and took over from scratch."
Aggies defense falters late
Free throws weren't the only thing that haunted the Aggies.
NM State held KSU to 34.6% shooting in the first half, but CUSA's top-scoring offense woke up in the second half. The Owls shot 56% and scored 46 points after halftime, with Simeon Cottle scoring 19 of those points to finish with 32. KSU scored on 10 of its last 11 possessions of the game with 21 points in those possessions, contributing to the Aggies trailing for the final 4:51 of the game.
A similar occurrence took place in NM State's first game against the Owls this season in Las Cruces. The Owls shot just 32.3% in the first half, but vastly improved with a 53.3% mark in the second half to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit and win 69-56.
Hooten believed the Aggies' defensive play after halftime played a larger role in the defeat than Osborne's missed free throw.
"If he doesn't even go get that amazing offensive rebound and get it back in and get fouled, we don't even have a chance. We were down three," Hooten said. "As far as missing that free throw, that's not why we lost the game. We lost the game for a million other reasons... They scored on 10 of their last 11 possessions. That's why we lost the game, and it's something that we haven't done all year long.
"We've been really good defensively, but sometimes when you meet great offenses... it does beat defense."
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Missed free throws haunt NMSU in CUSA tournament loss to Kennesaw State
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