Parents of Texas A&M hero left the arena before his game-tying shot

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 20: Admon Gilder #3 of the Texas A&M Aggies makes a layup to tie up the game with a score of 71 to 71 to bring them into overtime against the Northern Iowa Panthers during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Chesapeake Energy Arena on March 20, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

 

As Admon Gilder scored a last-second game-tying layup to cap Texas A&M's historic final-minute comeback last Sunday night, his parents were completely unaware of their son's heroics.

Admon Gilder Sr. and his wife Paula had left the arena in Oklahoma City a few minutes earlier with the Aggies trailing Northern Iowa by double figures and seemingly headed for an early NCAA tournament exit.

"They left the game with probably about a minute to go," the younger Gilder said Wednesday. "They were at the gas station on the way back and someone came out and told them that I'd just hit the game-tying shot."

Paula and Admon Sr. both had to be at work early the next morning in their hometown of Dallas, a roughly four-hour drive from Oklahoma City. They decided they were already too far from the arena to turn around, so they followed overtime and double overtime on their phones instead.

What they missed was the biggest final-minute comeback in the history of college basketball. Texas A&M forced four turnovers late in regulation, erased a 12-point deficit in the final 34 seconds and then emerged with an against-all-odds 92-88 double-overtime victory.

Gilder was instrumental in the comeback, scoring the first basket of Texas A&M's final-minute surge on a put-back and the last on a steal and driving layup. He relished giving his parents a hard time once he discovered they had not stayed long enough to witness it.

"I said they owe me anything I say," Gilder joked. "Hopefully I can get something new out of them."

Gilder said his parents were en route to Anaheim on Wednesday to watch Texas A&M's Sweet 16 matchup with Oklahoma on Thursday night. It's probably safe to say they'll stay until the final buzzer this time no matter how many points by which the Aggies are trailing.

Credit Gilder for being a good sport about his parents missing maybe the best moment of his Texas A&M career so far. The 6-foot-3 freshman finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists on Sunday.

"I probably would have left too," Gilder said.

"They said they were sorry they weren't there to see it. Anybody could have done the same thing. I'm not really too mad about it."