The climb in the second half pushes NM State past Davidson at the start of the Myrtle Beach Invitational

By Lolly Garcia On Nov 19, 2021

Press release from NM State Athletics

NM State has been the men’s chief basketball coach since the start of the season Chris Jans has insisted that players – be it well-known names or new ones – get opportunities for his squad.

Mike Peake got his Thursday afternoon.

After two games of minimal production to begin his career at NM State, Peake’s play on the track – including a big three-pointer, a blocked shot, and a major rebound – enabled Chicago, Ill., To feature prominently in NM State’s 75. to play -64 comeback win over Davidson in the opening game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational 2021.

Though he didn’t make a huge contribution to the scoring column with just six points, Peake’s performance at the HTC Center was aided by a 22-point foray from Teddy Allen and a great 17-point, seven rebound, and seven assist lines from Jabari Rice for helping the Aggies stay perfect.

FIRST HALF• NM State hit the Wildcats back on the heels and had plans to run away with the game. The Aggies used a 19-7 run through the first 6:14 to take control, and it was Allen (five points), Will McNair Jr. (four points) and Donnie Tillman (five points) who got through that Earned points.• However, Davidson woke up after Tillman’s triple, which gave NM State a 19-7 lead. The Wildcats outperformed the Aggies by a 26-9 lead through the remainder of the half to question NM State’s chances of winning.• By the last 1:39 p.m. of halftime, NM State had only conceded a pair of field goals – a three from everyone with 8:53 on the clock and a long ball from Peake with 33 ticks remaining in the frame. NM State also had eight sales in the past 13:39 years, which helped the Wildcats in their quest for a first-ever win against NM State.• Luka Brajkovic got the Wildcats going again with eleven points in the first half, but it was Michigan’s sniper Foster Loyer who gave Davidson his first lead of the game by drilling a three-pointer at the tip of the key to NM State Bringing on a 24-23 disadvantage with 4:21 on the clock.• Loyer’s long ball came just before Davidson’s 14-0 run began, which turned the script for the Wildcats. After a deficit of up to 12 points at the beginning, Davidson had a double-digit lead (33:23) after Brajkovic scored two free throws 1:27 at half time.• Allen responded with two of his own freebies, however, before Peake’s first three gave Davidson a five-point lead (33:28) at halftime.

SECOND HALF• NM State carried over their strong first-half end to the second verse, starting the final 20-minute segment with an 11-5 run to regain the lead. Johnny McCants squeezed his way down a few buckets before Rice rattled a three-pointer at 4:27 pm, giving NM State a 39-38 lead.• Rice’s first three of the frame set the stage for a monstrous second-half performance for the Houston, Texas product. After that triple, Davidson responded with four points in a row to regain the lead before the Aggies hit back with a 16-4 scoring spree to open a 55-46 lead by 9:40 minutes. Allen and Rice each injected two threesomes through this offensive wave.• Although the Aggies would never give up after 16 out of 20 points, Davidson didn’t leave. Hyunjung Lee made it a two-point game with 2:56 minutes thanks to a smooth three-pointer at the tip of the key. Holding on to a 66-64 lead, NM State didn’t flinch when it got the chance to finish things off.• Lee’s triple proved to be the last point the Wildcats would score when NM State finished the game in a 9-0 run. Peake’s second – and final – three came in the corner next to the NM State bench with 2:05 to go, followed by three free throws from Rice, two more from Donnie Tillman and a die-hard layup from Allen.• Peake correlated a major defensive rebound after a Lee misfire from the three-point range with 1:48 remaining and blocked a triple attempt by Lee with 37 ticks to close the deal.

MAIN PERFORMER / REMARKABLE STATISTICS• Though Allen and Rice stole the show on offense, they were helped by players like Tillman, 14 and McCants, 11, who made it up to four NM State players with double-digit totals. NM State has had four or more players who scored 10 or more points in each of the first three games of the year.• The Aggies bounced back from the first half offensive by scorching the nets in the crucial frame. NM State split .571 / .538 / .643 in the last 20 minutes of the game and moved the ball well. The Aggies finished with 15 assists on 25 field goals.• Davidson also had four players in the double digits and was led by Brajkovics 19. Lee and Loyer each contributed 14 to the Wildcats’ second straight loss.• NM State advanced 3-0 for the year with a Thursday afternoon win and took Davidson 2-0 all-time.• Under Jans, the Aggies are now 8-3 in MTE tilts.

NEXT COMES• The next Aggies action will take place on Friday at 10:00 MT in the semi-finals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational 2021. NM State will play against the winner from Penn and Utah State for the right to go to the Myrtle Beach Invitational championship bout on Sunday afternoon. ESPN2 will host the second game of the invitation game Aggies on Friday morning.