Aggie Men’s Basketball Journal December 2019

(And a couple of other sports included.)

12-3-19 vs UTEP Miners

Aggie Men’s Basketball beat the Miners in Las Cruces, 59-56.  I admit was kind of just listening in the background while I was at work.  I only took a few notes.  It was a very close game all the way.  At the end, good defense (or cold shooting) took over.  The Aggies didn’t score a field goal for the last six minutes, and the Miners didn’t for the last five minutes.  Foul shooting, however, was clutch on both ends.  CJ Bobbitt scored the last four Aggie points on free throws to put NMSU up by 3.  The Miners got two shots off in the final seconds, but couldn’t connect to tie it.

This was the Miners first loss of the season, but extended their 14-game road losing streak from last season.  Their star, Bryson Williams, had 27 points, and that was even being the focal point of the Aggies’ defense.  For the Aggies, CJ Bobbitt busted out with 14 points, including a pair of back-to-back threes.  Johnny McCants had 13, and Jabari Rice had 10. 

After listening to the Aggies’ postgame show, I flipped over to KROD out of El Paso to get the Miner postgame.  It’s great to hear the opposing coach praise your team after a game.  Miner Coach Rodney Terry singled out McCants, who’d scored well in the paint.  They’d done a great job defending on Trevelin Queen and Terrell Brown, but didn’t expect other guys on the team to make up the difference. 

I held on to listen to the Miner Talk call-in show.  A lot of the callers were at game, some were still stuck in the parking lot.  I thought I had heard a sizeable UTEP fan contingent during play.  The fans were mad at one particular Miner player that didn’t do well, and at the coach for leaving him in.  Casually, it was mentioned that their game broadcast has 20,000 listeners.  I have no idea what the Aggie listenership is.  (The Aggie broadcast also goes out to affiliates in other cities in the state and in El Paso).

12-7-19 vs Washington State Cougars

Aggie Men’s Basketball played on the road at Washington State on Saturday.  Dad and I were listening on the radio after being out that afternoon.  Neither Jack Nixon nor Adam Young were calling the game surprisingly.  The paper ran a story that Jack was taking time off for fatigue.  The article emphasized that he’d be back.  Jack was back doing morning news updates after the weekend.  I don’t know where Adam was, as he wasn’t calling this game or the Aggies’ NCAA Volleyball game.

  

While we had the Men’s game on, I set dad up with a new TV antenna.  He’s only been able to get two stations, so I got him a better antenna with better placement.  It worked fairly well.  There were some conference championship college football games on, but there was a heavyweight fight on a Mexican station. 

I’d heard about this bout from a co-worker, but didn’t know the time, so I was lucky to run into it.  I think I’d told dad about it, too.  I described it as some big fat guy boxing to defend a championship.  Indeed, it was Andy Ruiz (the fat guy) versus Anthony Joshua (a tall well-built black guy).  Honestly, just looking at the two, it seemed like a joke, rather than a serious boxing match. 

The fight was being held in an open-air arena in Saudi Arabia, which accounted for the odd start time.  Also oddly, it was raining there.  Give the fat guy credit, he could box.  He was quite quick and agile.  Anytime Joshua attempted to wrap-up with him, Ruiz would rain down blows on him.  However, Joshua mostly dominated the fight.  He put a cut over Ruiz’s eye in the first round, but that never really came into play.  The decision really wasn’t in doubt for Joshua.  Afterward, I found out Ruiz had come into the fight 15 lbs overweight.  The girlfriend of my co-worker had spoken to his trainer.  He told her that Ruiz didn’t show up for training for three months.  The only thing more unbelievable than that is that Ruiz is a top level boxer to begin with. 

I was muting the match between rounds to hear the radio, but obviously I missed most of the basketball game.  The Aggies were behind for most of it and never caught up.  WS was up by nine at the half.  Ivan Aurrecoechea missed most of the first half after collecting two fouls.  His appearance in the second half sparked the team to a comeback and got the Aggies within three, but 63-54 Washington State was the final.  Jabari Rice led with 14 points, Trevelin Queen had 12, and Ivan had 8.  17 turnovers killed the Aggies today, which led to 17 WS points.

12-11-19 vs Denver U Pioneers

The Aggie Men bounced back with a 72-67 win over Denver.  I was listening over the radio at work and caught parts of it.  Terrell Brown sat out most of the game with an injury, so team was shorthanded.  The Aggies didn’t have a problem though, as they led by 18 before  the half.  Denver did not go away and played the Aggies tough at the end.  Some fatigue might have come into play there.  

Jabari Rice led with 18 points and led in assists.  Trevelin Queen had 15, Ivan Aurrecoechea had 14, and Johnny McCants had 12.  Two Denver players scored in the 20’s.  The Pioneers did not foul.  The Aggies only got their first foul shot in last five minutes of the game.  There were also apparently lots of Aggie fans there.  AD Mario Moccia did a good job bringing in alumni in the area.

12-14-19 vs UNM Lobos

I was listening to this game at home, but honestly didn’t feel like sitting around taking a bunch of notes.  It was basically a sellout at the Pit in Albuquerque for the game.  At the half, the Aggies led 33-31.  Jabari Rice and Johnny McCants hit threes and rest of the scoring was pretty well distributed.  The Aggie defense locked it down at the end of the half.

The Lobos went on a big run at the start of the second half and got the crowd into it.  At 42-35 Lobos, the Aggies took a timeout.  NMSU then went on a 12-point run and tied it at 44 on a Trevelin Queen three.  The Lobos came back and retook the lead, but the Aggies came back again from 12 down.  It was 56-54 Lobos, with three minutes left, when the Aggies gave up two offensive rebounds on one possession.  It was a bad precursor to some poor play.  The Lobos started to pull away.  Jack Nixon commented, “The Aggies look like the Keystone Cops.  I suppose very people listening got that reference.  We’ll just say they look very disorganized.”  69-62 Lobos was the final.

22 turnovers were the main difference in play.  The Lobos also made and attempted a bunch more free throws.  Trevelin Queen led all scorers with 19 points.  Coach Jans almost forgot to come out for the interview.  He sounded so depressed after losing both games to the Lobos this season.  Jack mentioned that injured AJ Harris was working out with the team before the game.  Jans answered, “Jack, I know you’re trying to make me feel better.  Thank you.”

12-18-19 vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions

The Aggies blew this one out 65-40 against the Golden Lions.  I totally forgot about the game.  I had it written down.  I had a window open ready to bring up the video or radio call (whatever was available).  I just blitzed it.  This was a significant game for the team, as former Miner, Evan Gilyard, made his debut.  He’d just gotten his eligibility to play this season.  Coach Jans asked him beforehand if he wanted to play or if he wanted to redshirt the rest of the season.  Evan said he was hurt even being asked the question; of course he wanted to play.  Ivan Aurrecoechea went off with 19 points to lead the team.  Bryce Rewalt, a local walk-on player, came in late and hit a three to the delight of the crowd.  There was also a Teddy Bear toss for Toys for Tots at the half.  It’s usually a pretty majestic sight as a multitude of teddy bears fly on to the court.

12-22-19 vs Mississippi State Bulldogs

This road game came on Sunday afternoon.  I was actually watching a couple of Women’s College Basketball games on Stadium when it came on the radio.  About halfway through the game, I went over to my dad’s apartment to watch the Cowboys’ game (the less said about that the better).  We kept listening to the Aggies though and certainly got more entertainment out of that than the football.

The Aggies were playing MSS (like I’m spelling out that state name every time) in Jackson, which isn’t the Bulldogs’ home, so this was technically a neutral site.  The Aggies were in their home whites.  Actually, both teams have the same colors.  The scouting report on the Bulldogs was that they were big, really big, like the second tallest team in the nation.  For the Aggies, Robert Brown has transferred out of the program.  (When does the NCAA start allowing trades and a having a draft?)  However, AJ Harris was cleared to play.

Both teams were extremely tight at the start of play.  Johnny McCants opened up the scoring with a three two minutes into the game.  AJ came in early off the bench, but fell down on his first play.  11 minutes in, the Aggies still only had one basket and one free throw.  The good news was that the Bulldogs weren’t doing that well either.  They did have an 8-4 lead, until Evan Gilyard came in off the bench to put down a couple of free throws.  He then gave the Aggies a 9-8 lead with a three.                  

Trevelin Queen added on with a stickback bucket in the paint.  Evan picked up a couple of assists, one to Ivan Aurrecoechea and a dunk by Trev.  Nick Witherspoon on the Bulldogs picked up his third foul and came out.  However, Ivan and Evan also picked up two fouls and came out.  The Bulldogs began a comeback, but AJ got his first points, a three, to make it 21-17.  It was 23-21 Aggies at the half.  The Aggies were +8 in rebounds to this point.

The second half started with a bang from McCants.  He got a steal and a jam and then followed up with a three.  Trevelin took the lead up to 30-21 with a layup after he momentarily lost the ball going into the lane.  After a McCants’ layup, the Bulldogs took a timeout.  Two minutes in and the Aggies were on 9-0 run.  McCants then got a block out of the break.  Witherspoon picked up his fourth foul going after Gilyard.  McCants popped another three, along with Jabari Rice getting his first points with a three.  38-27 Aggies.

McCants jammed another and Gilyard put in a three to make it 43-31 with 11 minutes left.  Fouls started coming into play.  Ivan came out with four fouls.  The Bulldogs dropped the Aggie lead from 12 to 4.  Witherspoon fouled out to the MSS coach’s disgust, but they were still overwhelming inside with a pair of treetops (6’10” and 6’11”).  The Aggies had no answer for them, as the Bulldogs took the lead with two minutes left.

It was a short-lived deficit.  Gilyard got the Aggies back in the lead, 55-53, with a layup with 30 seconds left.  McCants, who was just doing everything today, got a steal with 15 seconds left.  CJ Bobbitt hit a free throw.  Jabari got a turnover and was fouled.  He made a free throw to ice the game.  Aggies won 58-52.  Nice.

Johnny McCants had a huge game with 18 points and contributing in every other way in the game, except for selling concessions.  (Wait, let me check his Twitter.  Oops, my mistake.  There’s a picture of him selling popcorn in the stands at halftime.)  Evan Gilyard followed with 14 points.  Thanks for the early Christmas present UTEP.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns into a gift that keeps on giving.  Coach Jans was ebullient in the postgame and talking to the team afterward.  This was the first win for Aggie Men’s Basketball against an SEC team since the 90’s, but more so, the team really came together here against a squad of Goliaths.  Great job.

12-28-19 WBB vs Abilene Christian Wildcats

I remember the Aggie Women playing Abilene Christian here last year (11-20-18).  That game was a rude shock, though we did get treated to the sight of Brooke Salas coaching.  Consider that a preview a coming attractions one day.  This year, for this road game, the Wildcats were an even better team at 9-1 and the Aggies were much worse.  I remembered Dominique Golightly from the previous game, mostly for her name.  I had no idea “Golightly” was an actual name, apart from a fictional character.  The team also had a former Aggie commit in Makayla Mabry, who left when Coach Trakh left.  I missed the pregame, in spite of my best efforts, but the scouting report was that the Wildcats made lots of threes.  A couple of their players were shooting over 40%.

ACU jumped out to a good lead in the beginning of the first quarter.  This was mostly thanks to a couple of wide open looks for threes.  But, a couple of turnovers and a three by Amanda Soderqvist, got the Aggies back into it.  It was 18-13 ACU after ten minutes.  In the second quarter, the Wildcats started scoring on the inside and then shot some more from the outside.  They went up by 14 at one point.  I swear Aggie broadcaster Adam Young was starting to root ACU on because of their impressive play.  35-24 ACU at the half.

By three minutes into the third quarter, the Wildcat lead was up to 20.  Aaliyah Prince’s first points came as she made a bad pass off a defender, got the deflection, and put in a jumper.  Prince was bright spot in the quarter as she scored 8 points.  54-34 ACU after three quarters.  “Wright has done everything right.  Pardon the pun,” Adam commented on Breanna Wright’s afternoon as she came out late in the fourth quarter with 23 points.  A Wildcat player was injured late and had to be helped off.  Amanda took an apparent punch to the gut and then made two threes in a row.  Don’t make her angry.  The final was 67-54 ACU.

Coach Atkinson still sounded upbeat in the postgame.  No point in not being optimistic with a 3-10 record.  Actually she was pleased that the team had held the Wildcats under their season average of 90 points a game.  ACU also averages 20 turnovers on the opposition.  The Aggies only had 12.  The Aggies were -8 in rebounds though.  Amanda Soderqvist led the Aggies with 14 points on 4 threes.  Gia Pack had a quiet 13 points.  Interestingly, there was a cool jazz soundtrack in the background while Adam was giving the final stats.  They’re fairly classy there in Abilene. 

12-29-19 vs NNM Eagles

There was good news for Aggie Men’s Basketball right at the start of this game.  Clayton Henry was cleared to play.  Coach Jans asked him if he wanted to redshirt for the rest of the season, but he was good to go.  It’s encouraging that Clayton, AJ Harris, and Evan Gilyard all chose to play, even if it was only for half a season.  Jabari Rice and Terrell Brown were going to sit out this game for nagging injuries, but could have played.  On the Northern New Mexico side, in addition to being a DII school, they only had eight players with them.  They’d recently dismissed three players because of a fight on court, and their top two scorers weren’t there either.  It was going to be an uphill game for the Eagles.

Johnny McCants started the Aggie scoring with a three.  Two steals lead to layups.  AJ hit a three.  Timeout Eagles, two minutes in, and it was 10-2 Aggies already.  Clayton came into the game and his first shot of the season was a three.  Gilyard hit a three.  I think I can see a pattern here.  22-6 Aggies with 11 minutes left in the half.  Jack Nixon and Justin Hawkins kind of stopped giving constant score updates around this time.  The Aggies were subbing in and out a lot as the coach said he’d do today. 

I should mention I was listening to this game with earbuds in at my dad’s apartment, while watching the Cowboys’ final meaningless game of the season.  Suddenly, I’m hearing strange noise and my pants pocket was vibrating and flashing.  Oh, it’s my phone.  I’m still not used to his cell phone thing.  I left the room and turned off my radio and had a nice chat with an out-of-town friend for about a half hour.  It was getting late when I finished, so I ended up leaving afterward.

Walking home, I had the radio back on.  They were just coming out of halftime.  I think the score was 63-12 Aggies.  They’d had a productive half.  They were close to setting a program record for threes.  Late in the second, Tennessee Owens, a local product and my favorite name on the team, came in and hit a three for his first points.  Another Las Crucen, Bryce Rewalt, came in to the cheers of the crowd.  He took a three that went in and out.  The crowd groaned, but he came back and hit the next one to the roar of the crowd.  He hit another which was the team’s twentieth and a new record. 

The final was 104-30 Aggies.  I’m almost embarrassed to write that.  Trevelin Queen led with 17 points.  Two others had 12, but everyone scored.  Coach Jans was happy in the postgame because there were lots of assists as well.  The Cowboys’ postgame was going on at the same time with Coach Jason Garrett, so I was flipping back-and-forth.  Bryce was interviewed.  He sounds like he’s fourteen.  Bryce also played football and golf in high school.  His sister is on the Cheerleading squad, and he had a bunch of friends and family at the game.  He told Jack that him and dad used to listen to him doing games, and it was unreal being interviewed by him.  Jack was nearly at a loss for words after that.

I’ve really struggled to keep up the blogging lately.  I’m lacking some motivation.  I don’t know if I’ll continue covering the Men’s and Women’s games this season, unless I’m at their games.  I plan on going to the Women’s games on the weekends.  I’m not sure how well they’ll do in conference.  I hope to go to one or two Men’s games.  I’m a lot higher on them.  They’re finally healthy and even have a good new transfer.  The rest of the WAC on the Men’s side seems to be having a down year, so this could work out well for the Aggies.