NM State Claims NCAA Tournament Victory Against UConn
NM State Claims NCAA Tournament Victory Against UConn
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – Teddy buckets had his scoring shoes on and NM State is advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year Teddy Allen registered a game high 37 points to lead the 12th seeded Aggies past UConn 70-63.
The Aggies will play the winner of the Arkansas/Vermont game on Saturday at the KeyBank Center.
The NCAA Tournament victory is the first for a WAC school since the 2007 season when Nevada knocked off Creighton. For NM State it is their first NCAA Tournament win in 29 years. During the 1993 tournament, they conquered Nebraska in a first round contest.
NM State led for nearly 30 minutes, and held a lead as large as 14 points, in pulling off the upset. Aiding in the win for the Aggies was their 11-for-17 shooting performance from behind the arc. Their 64.7 percent accuracy from distance is a season high.
Despite never trailing in the second half, NM State held off the Huskies rally. Tied at 58-58 with 2:06 remaining, the Aggies outscored UConn 9-5 down the stretch.
In addition to his scoring exploits, Allen grabbed a team high six rebounds. The guard was perfect from the foul line (13-for-13) as well. Allen's 37-point outburst is most in an NCAA Tournament game since Purdue's Carsen Edwards scored 42 against Virginia in the 2019 Elite Eight.