SAN ANTONIO – In the NCAA Women’s Tournament game so far, Texas A&M goalie Jordan Nixon hit a running and spinning float while the bell rang to beat Iowa State in overtime, 84-82, and give the Aggies a place in the Sweet 16.
“The only thing I thought was‘ push, ’” Nixon said. “Push. I have to go, I have to get out. As soon as I fired, I knew it was starting. Honestly.
“Once I saw the light of day, I didn’t think I had enough time to do anything, but my classmates ran the word and I just had to put it out,” Nixon said. “Staging it is all I thought about. Live with the shot, live with the decision. I’m glad you came in.”
He closed out Nixon’s career night (35 points on 16 of 28 shots plus 7 assists), with the second year at a great time one after the other, while second-placed Aggies came out of a hole in the second half.
“It’s always about trust for me,” Nixon said. “My teammates wanted to give me the ball, they wanted me to make shots. They trusted me to make plays and they trusted me to lead this team.”
For Nixon, it was also an emotional game, as he had quietly dedicated it to his high school coach, Dave Edwards, a student of Aggie, who died a year and a day ago due to COVID- 19 to 48 years.
“He was one of my big fans,” Nixon said. “This game was for him.”
Iowa State, 7, gained a 12-point lead in the second half behind a wave of long-range first-year shooting Lexi Donarski and junior Ashley Joens. Joens added 32 points plus 18 rebounds and appeared to have sealed a trip to the Sweet 16 for the Cyclones with an and-1 to 39 seconds of play to put Iowa State at four.
Aggie’s keeper, N’dea Jones, responded quickly with a throw, Jones made two free throws and Nixon responded again with a jumper. A&M caught the passing pass and forced a jump ball, opening the door for Nixon to tie the game with a five-second free kick.
“Jordan Nixon is a winner. She’s so good,” A&M coach Gary Blair said. “I still remember two years ago when he came on his official visit. Sometimes you’re just lucky and you know the fit is perfect. When he came in it fit like perfection.”
The first advantage the Aggies took came in overtime when Nixon opened the extra box with a 3. It was a problem for Texas A&M, as Iowa State defeated each race with a response. But Nixon had more answers, hitting pullers at big points to keep A&M at a surprising distance to set up the battering runner.
“Jordan has that moment in her. He wants the moment,” Blair said. “It was probably the shot that was heard all over the state of Texas. I hope everyone saw it.”
Along the stretch, the intensity shot up at the Alamodome and, despite the large void in the massive sand, the small crowd of family members was harsh. They stopped the officials, chanted and applauded, trampled and applauded. It became a memorable environment despite COVID-19 protocols preventing a traditional tournament environment.
“It was a phenomenal college basketball game,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.
After the shot fell, just before his bandmates stabbed him with a hen, Nixon stood almost motionless, taking the scene and trying to capture the memory.
“I savored the moment. At this time, at this moment, we’re always thinking about the next thing, always looking forward,” he said, “but that moment when I stopped, it was me who took it into account. at Sweet 16, we just retired against a very, very good team, until the end. These are the moments. These are the moments he remembers with his teammates. We will always remember this day, this year and this tournament. “
The Aggies will play Arizona’s No. 3 on Saturday.
“We need about two weeks off,” Blair joked, “and then we’ll play again.”