SAN ANTONIO – In the NCAA women’s tournament game so far, Texas A&M owner Jordan Nixon hit a running and writhing floater when the bell rang to beat Iowa State in overtime, 84-82, and give it to the Aggies a spot on Sweet 16
“The only thing I thought was ‘push’,” said Nixon. “Push. I have to go, I have to leave. As soon as I got the injection, I knew I was going to get in. Honestly.
“As soon as I saw the light of day, I didn’t think I had enough time to do anything, but my teammates ran the track and I just had to put it on,” said Nixon. “Putting on was the only thing I thought about. Live with the shot, live with the decision. I’m glad you came in.”
He capped the night of Nixon’s career – 35 points from 16 of 28 shots plus 7 assists – with the second year popping up at a great moment after another, while second-placed Aggies came out of a hole in the second half.
“It’s always a matter of trust for me,” said Nixon. “My teammates wanted to give me the ball, they wanted me to play. They trusted me to make plays and they trusted me to lead this team.”
For Nixon, it was also an emotional game, as she quietly dedicated it to her high school coach, Dave Edwards, Aggie’s former student, who died a year and a day from COVID-19 at 48.
“He was one of my biggest fans,” said Nixon. “This game was for him.”
Iowa State, a 7-seed, built a 12-point lead in the second half after a flurry of long-range kicks from freshman Lexi Donarski and junior Ashley Joens. Joens conceded 32 points plus 18 rebounds and seemed to have sealed a trip to the Sweet 16 for the Cyclones with an e-1 with 39 seconds left to put Iowa State in four.
Aggie N’dea Jones’s guard responded quickly with a tray, Jones made two free throws and Nixon responded again with a jump. A&M secured the entry pass and forced a ball into the air, opening the door for Nixon to tie the game with a tray with five seconds remaining.
“Jordan Nixon is a winner. She is so good,” said A&M coach Gary Blair. “I still remember two years ago, when she came on her official visit. Sometimes you are just lucky and you know that the fit is perfect. When she came, she fit perfectly.”
The first advantage that the Aggies obtained came in overtime, when Nixon opened the extra frame with a 3. It was a difficult one for Texas A&M, with the state of Iowa hitting all races with an answer. But Nixon had more answers, hitting pull-up jumpers at great points to keep A&M within attack distance to set up the buzzer buzzer corridor.
“Jordan has that moment in her. She wants the moment,” said Blair. “That was probably the shot heard across the state of Texas. I hope everyone was watching that one.”
On the stretch, the intensity flared at the Alamodome and despite the vast emptiness of the huge arena, the small crowd of family members was noisy. They harassed the officers, sang and shouted, stepped and clapped. It created a memorable environment, despite the fact that the COVID-19 protocols prevent a traditional tournament atmosphere.
“It was a phenomenal game of college basketball,” said Iowa state coach Bill Fennelly.
After the shot fell, just before his teammates surrounded him for a pile of dogs, Nixon was almost motionless, watching the scene and trying to capture the memory.
“I was enjoying the moment. In this era, in this era, we are always thinking about the next thing, always looking ahead, “she said,” but that moment when I stopped, it was me absorbing it. we’re going to Sweet 16, we just fought a very, very good team, to the limit. Those are the moments. These are the moments that you remember with your companions. We will always remember this day, this year and this tournament. “
Aggies will play third in Arizona on Saturday.
“We need about two weeks off,” Blair joked, “and then we’ll be back to play.”