New Mexico State looks to regroup after 21-game win streak ends
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (BVM) — For the first time in more than a year, New Mexico State will try to bounce back from a loss.
The Aggies’ school record-tying 21-game winning streak, which dated back to Dec. 14, 2019, came to an end Monday when they lost to Cal State Northridge, 66-63.
NMSU led the Matadors for most of the game and by as much as 12 at 59-47 after Johnny McCants — who scored a game-high 19 points — hit his career-best fifth 3-pointer of the day. But NMSU made just two field goals in the final six and a half minutes and CSUN outscored the Aggies 19-4 to bring an end to what was the second-longest active winning streak in the nation.
“Since we’ve arrived here, I don’t remember losing a game like that,” fourth-year NMSU head coach Chris Jans said in the postgame press conference. “I don’t remember losing a game where we clearly had it in hand for the majority of the game. We just didn’t get the job done in the end.”
It’s a rarity that the Aggies don’t finish the job under Jans. Since his first season at the helm (2017-18), NMSU has won 82.5% of its games. The Aggies won the WAC regular season and tournament titles and reached the NCAA tournament in his first two seasons, and they were on their way to completing that trifecta again last year when they finished 25-6 before COVID-19 hit and ended everyone’s season abruptly.
The Aggies had three games canceled earlier this month due to COVID-related issues, and Monday’s loss came after a 26-day layoff. But Jans refused to use rust or the fact that they’re currently playing without WAC Preseason Player of the Year Jabari Rice as an excuse for why his team let one get away against CSUN.
“I don’t think we showed a lot of rust when we were leading by nine with five left or 11 a little bit earlier than that,” Jans said. “We wouldn’t be talking about rust or layoffs if we would’ve won the game by double figures like in my opinion we should’ve.”
Despite the loss, NMSU still carries another long winning streak. The Aggies have won 34 straight games against WAC opponents and their 31-game winning streak in WAC regular season games is the longest in the league’s history. They’ll open conference play against Dixie State on Jan. 8 in St. George, Utah.
