Two college basketball players cause chaos on the same day after scoring in their own basket: Who are Emma Christiano and Karma Wynn?

B asketball players spend years learning to recognise defensive pressure, find teammates and identify the correct route to the basket.

However, two women's college players had a day they will probably want to forget after making the same unusual mistake in separate games.

Emma Christiano of New Mexico State and Karma Wynn of Northwestern State both accidentally scored at the wrong end of the court on Friday, November 6.

The incidents happened within hours of each other, leaving commentators and supporters struggling to believe what they had witnessed.

Christiano's error was particularly dramatic because it came during the closing moments of a tightly contested game against Southern Utah. With the Aggies trailing 61-60 and approximately 20 seconds remaining, the senior guard intercepted an inbound pass.

Carried towards the basket by her momentum, Christiano attempted what appeared to be a routine layup. Unfortunately, she had turned towards the wrong hoop and sent the ball through her own team's basket, giving Southern Utah two additional points.

The broadcast initially made the situation even more confusing. One commentator believed New Mexico State had taken the lead and enthusiastically announced, "Aggies lead!" However, the other quickly recognised the mistake and shouted, "Wrong basket! Wrong basket! She shot it in their basket."

Christiano initially celebrated as she ran back down the court, seemingly unaware of what had happened. Once the mistake became apparent, the Las Cruces native put her face in her hands.

"Oh my gosh," ESPN's color commentator added. "[I] can honestly say I've never seen that."

Despite the embarrassing moment, New Mexico State managed to produce an incredible finish. Freshman Stacy Chovino became the hero, grabbing offensive rebounds before converting a layup with just two seconds remaining to give the Aggies a 64-63 victory.

Chovino finished with 25 points and eight rebounds, while the win marked the first of head coach Adeniyi Amadou's tenure.

Who are Emma Christiano and Karma Wynn?

Christiano is a senior guard for New Mexico State who comes from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Standing 5-foot-3, she attended Las Cruces High School before continuing her college career at New Mexico Highlands, where she spent two seasons and appeared in 55 games.

She joined the Aggies for the 2025-26 season and entered the 2026-27 campaign as a senior. Her appearance against Southern Utah was brief, with the official box score recording four minutes of playing time.

Although her unfortunate basket became one of the game's most memorable moments, it did not ultimately cost her team the victory.

Wynn , meanwhile, plays for Northwestern State and is listed as a junior guard. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she attended Pelham High School before continuing her basketball career at Tulane and Wallace State Community College.

Her moment of confusion occurred during the first quarter of Northwestern State's meeting with Arkansas. The Lady Demons were attempting to bring the ball forward against the Razorbacks' full-court pressure when a pass reached Wynn near her own basket.

Instead of recognising the direction of play and moving towards the opposite end, she collected the ball and finished with an uncontested layup into the wrong hoop. The mistake gave Arkansas two points, although it did little to change the overall outcome of the contest.

Wynn finished the game with six points, four rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes. Arkansas won 89-59, moving to 2-0 for the season.

The two incidents quickly became a talking point online, particularly because they happened on the same day. Social media users were quick to compare the clips and joke about the unlikely coincidence.

"Why have I seen two of these in the last 20 min," one X user posted beneath footage of Wynn's layup, while another responded: "Hahahah omg New Mexico State just did the same thing in the clutch moment! ! They was cheering and all omg! ! ! ! !".

A third user weighed in, "Need a new rule. You are not allowed to schedule teams who dont know which basket to shoot on."

Although the two players will undoubtedly want to move past their respective mistakes, the incidents provided one of the strangest shared storylines of the young college basketball season.

For Christiano , the consolation was that her teammates rescued a dramatic victory. Wynn's error, meanwhile, came in a game her team ultimately lost by 30 points.

Two different games, two different players and precisely the same unusual mistake: Friday certainly delivered an unforgettable day for women's college basketball.