SAN ANTONIO – In the NCAA Women’s Tournament so far, Texas A&M goalie Jordan Nixon hit a moving float as the buzzer called to beat Iowa in overtime, 84-82, and give Aggies a place in 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 set fire, I knew it was going. Honestly.
“Once I saw the light of day, I didn’t think I had enough time to do anything, but my colleagues got the word out and I just had to pick it up,” Nixon said. “Highlighting him is the only thing I thought about. He lives with the shot, he lives with the decision. I’m glad he came in.”
He ended Nixon’s career night – 35 points on 16-of-28 shots plus 7 assists – with the second student coming in at a time, while Aggies, in second grade, out of a second half hole.
“It’s always about trust for me,” Nixon said. “My colleagues wanted to give me the ball, they wanted to shoot. They trusted me to play games and they trusted me to lead this team.”
For Nixon, it was also an exciting game as he quietly dedicated it to her high school coach Dave Edwards, an alum Aggie, who died a year and a day ago of COVID-19 at the age of 48. .
“He was one of my biggest fans,” Nixon said. “This game was for him.”
Iowa State, a 7-seed, gained a 12-point lead in the second half behind a long-range shooting range from freshman Lexi Donarski and junior Ashley Joens. Joens earned 32 points plus 18 rebounds and appeared to seal a trip to Sweet 16 for the Cyclones with a 1-and-39 at 39 seconds to play Iowa State with four.
Aggie’s keeper, N’dea Jones, responded quickly with a throw, Jones made two free throws, and Nixon responded again with a jump. A&M caught the entrance step and forced a jump ball, opening the door for Nixon to equalize the game with a layup in less than five seconds.
“Jordan Nixon is a winner. She’s so good,” said G&B coach Gary Blair. “I still remember two years ago when she came on an official visit. Sometimes you’re lucky and you know the fit is perfect. When she came in, she fit in perfectly.”
The first advantage Aggies took came in overtime when Nixon opened the extra frame with a 3. It was a problem for Texas A&M because Iowa State won every race with an answer. But Nixon had several answers, hitting the jumpers in big places to keep A&M at an impressive distance to set up the beating runner.
“Jordan has that moment in her. She wants the moment,” Blair said. “That was probably the shot heard all over Texas. I hope everyone watched it.”
Over time, the intensity erupted in the Alamodome and, despite the vast emptiness of the massive arena, the small crowd of family members was harsh. They disturbed the officials, chanted and cheered, trampled and applauded. He created a memorable environment despite the COVID-19 protocols preventing a traditional tournament atmosphere.
“It was a great college basketball game,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.
After the shot came in, just before her teammates crowded her for a dogpile, Nixon stood almost motionless, taking the stage and trying to instantiate her memory.
“We enjoyed the moment. In this age, in this time, we always think about the next thing, we always look forward to it,” she said, “but that moment when I stopped was the one I took. Sweet 16, we just went against a very good, very good team. These are the moments. These are the moments that you and your teammates remember. We will always remember this day, this year and this tournament. “
Aggies will play 3rd in Arizona on Saturday.
“We need two weeks off,” Blair joked, “and then we’ll come back and play.”