Chicago State Defeats WAC Favorite NMSU 86-81

WATCH IN 720p HD, WIDE SCREEN

CHICAGO, Illinois -- A steal and a pair of three throws in the final seconds by freshman Johnny Griffin (Ford Heights, Ill./Bloom Trail ) sealed the Cougars' 86-81 victory over New Mexico State on Thursday (Jan. 16). The win moves Chicago State to 3-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. It's the first time Chicago State has started conference play 3-0 in NCAA Division I program history. The win puts Chicago State in a tie for first place in the WAC with Utah Valley.

Both teams held leads as large as eight in the first half but when the halftime buzzer sounded the game was tied at 40.

Chicago State built their largest lead of the second half at seven points on a jumper by senior Quinton Pippen (Hamburg, Ark./Hamburg) with 13:18 remaining to make the score 55-48. New Mexico State responded with 10 straight points to grab a 58-55 lead following a pair of free throws by KC Ross-Miller.

The biggest basket of the game came with 1:25 remaining. Senior Nate Duhon (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) grabbed a rebound off a New Mexico State miss and pushed the ball up court. He drove to the lane but quickly pitched the ball to Pippen. Pippen proceeded to sink a 3-pointer in front of his own bench to put the Cougars up 76-72. From there the teams exchanged points several times with a pair of free throws by junior Clarke Rosenberg (Skokie, Ill./Evanston Township) putting the Cougars up 82-78 with 15 seconds. Kevin Aronis followed with a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to advance New Mexico State within a point. Duhon was fouled and made a pair of free throws to make it an 84-81 game. New Mexico State had a chance to tie the game but Griffin stole the inbound pass by DK Eldridge. The freshman Griffin was fouled and calmly sunk a pair of free throws to ice the game.

"I'm so proud of the guys," Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy said. "Basketball is a game of runs. They made a run, we made a run and when it mattered down the stretch we were calm and finished it out. This is a huge win for the program. "

Thursday's contest featured 13 lead changes and eight ties.

Five Cougars finished in double-digits. Rosenberg scored 20 points with four steals and three assists. Pippen added 19 points and eight rebounds. Senior Matt Ross (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) recorded 17 points and seven rebounds. Duhon totaled 12 points, including a 6-of-6 performance from the free throw line. Senior Corey Gray (Houston, Texas/Hightower) totaled 10 points.

WAC Preseason Player of the Year pick Daniel Mullings totaled a game-high 26 points for New Mexico State but also committed eight turnovers. Chicago State forced 19 New Mexico State turnovers.

Chicago State made just 1-of-4 3-point attempts in the first half, the second fewest 3-pointers attempted in a half this season. The second half was a different story. The Cougars drained 7-of-8 3-pointers. Pippen made all three from beyond the arc he attempted in the second. However the difference in the game really came at the free throw line. The Cougars made 14-of-18 free throws over the game's final five minutes to keep the pressure on the Aggies.

The win was the first for Chicago State over New Mexico State in five tries. New Mexico State was the preseason pick to win the conference.

New Mexico State falls to 14-6 (3-1 WAC). The Cougars improve to 8-9 (3-0 WAC). Chicago State hosts UTPA on Saturday (Jan. 18) in WAC play. Tip at the Jones Convocation Center will be 2:05 p.m.

Box Score

COURTESY CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS