HUNTSVILLE—Jax State came out of the halftime locker room determined to extending their stay at the 2026 Air National Guard Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament, but fell short at the end in their first-round matchup against New Mexico State.
 
Six different times in the second half, Jax State got within two, but could never get over the hump and regain the lead in a 68-63 loss to end the season at 15-17.
 
"I just thought we executed well in the half court," said coach Ray Harper of the second half effort. "Our screens were good. We took care of the ball. This time of year, it comes down to can you execute in the half court offensively and how good are you defensively in the half court. Usually, teams that are really good in those two areas win and advance."
 
Jax State trailed by 14 with 2:44 left in the first half and took a 39-28 lead into the intermission after shooting 44.4% from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point land.
 
The Gamecocks opened the second 20 minutes with an 11-2 run to make it a two-point game with 15:53 left when freshman Jacoby Hill scored on a steal by Mostapha El Moutaouakkil at 41-39. Jemel Jones connected on a 3-pointer on the very next possession to give the Aggies some breathing room.
 
Hill finished with 11 points and four assists.
 
El Moutaouakkil got it back down to two with 11:20 left, but Chris Terrell's 3-pointer on next possession gave his team a 53-48 lead and sparked a 6-0 run.
 
He finished with a double-double effort of 23 points and 11 rebounds.
 
AC Bryant converted two 3-pointers in a span of 56 seconds, both cut the lead to two, but the first was answered by a Gabe Pickens 3-pointer and the possession after the second put Pickens at the line where he split a pair of free throws. The Gamecocks missed the front end of a one-and-one and yielded the rebound to put the game out of reach.
 
Jones led NM State with 17 points and Pickens added 16.