Sports Journal January 12-17, 2019

1-12-19

I’m going to backtrack a little bit before getting to today’s game.  While Coach Jans was “okay” with Thursday’s near certain loss to GCU (1-10-19), he was mad about that loss to CBU last week (1-3-19) during Wednesday’s Aggie Coaches Show interview.  He said something I found interesting during that discussion, “You can get mad at the players for not following directions and not paying attention, but you can’t get mad at a kid for missing a bunny.  That’s just part of the game.”      

Of course, the Aggies actually won that game against GCU.  Little wonder, they shot 50%!  Johnny McCants had a career high in points and added another highlight for his reel.  Jack Nixon was calling him “Miracle” McCants for his last-second winning shot.  I’m not sure that’s going to catch on.  Jack also commented on how “uncharacteristic” AJ Harris’ two turnovers at the end of the game were, along with Terrell Brown missing two free throws.  He wasn’t insinuating anything, I think.  Now suddenly I’m wondering.  Boy, the last thing NMSU needs is an NCAA investigation. 

AD Mario Moccia came on the pregame.  He said he talked to AJ after the game, just to reassure him that the team needs him.  AJ was actually out with the flu for this game and wasn’t even on the bench.  (If he was out with two broken kneecaps, I’d tell Mario to start looking for a new job immediately.)  This afternoon’s opponent, CSU-Bakersfield, who are 3-0 in the WAC, will be leaving the conference in the near future.  Mario said they just picked up a new junior college member, Dixie State.  They’re in Utah.  Ooookay.  Maybe I heard that name wrong.  

Mario was worried about today’s crowd before the game.  The student section was looking sparse.  Mario had hoped with the early start time that it wouldn’t conflict with the Cowboys’ playoff game in the evening.  He was begging everyone listening to come to the game.  Now I felt bad for now having planned to go to this game.  Certainly with the weekend afternoon game, a good opponent, a halftime Mascot basketball game, a free caricature poster, and an autograph session afterward, it would have been a good game to go to.    

First Half

The pregame said that the Roadrunners were very physical on defense.  Ivan Aurrecoechea found that out the first time drove the lane and was clobbered.  Ivan also had a cold, probably from AJ (probably from the team partying after their win on Thursday).  He ended up coming out early and didn’t come back for the second.  It was likely some heroic effort just to get him out on the floor.

 

Trevelin Queen came off the bench and tied the game at 9 on a three.  However, the Roadrunners were out-rebounding the sluggish Aggies (perhaps they’re all sick) and regained the lead, 9-20.  Timeout Aggies.  Two minutes of tongue-lashing later, the Aggies suddenly come out rebounding and drawing fouls attacking the basket.  Unfortunately, they were only 6 of 11 on foul shots in the first half.  The Aggies managed to crawl back into it.  Terrell Brown made a last second three to end the half, 22-29 CSUB.  (Are the guys all practicing buzz beaters now?)

Second Half

Jack was amused by the Mascot Massacre basketball game at halftime, as a bunch of costumed mascots attempted to play each other.  They even brought back the old Women’s Roadrunner mascot for another game (12-15-18).  For stats, Queen was the surprise Aggie high-scorer at the half.

The crowd was right back into it as the Aggies came out firing and cut lead to 5.  They were down by 3 after a three.  It was 35-36 CSUB, when McCants was given a tacky charging call before a media timeout.  The crowd booed as this was his second questionable foul call of the game.  Terrell Brown tied it on a free throw shot and took the lead on a couple more, 38-36 Aggies.  Brown put in a layup to make it 40-36 and force a Roadrunner timeout. 

The lead started changing on alternating possessions.  There were still 11 minutes left in the game with all this furious action.  Brown put in another three to make it 50-45.  The Roadrunners retook the lead 52-54 with six minutes left, but Keyon Jones got it back on a three, 55-54.  McCants added a couple of buckets at the rim to make it 59-54 with four minutes left.

Jack had some out-of-town news.  The Aggie Women had just won in 61-59 in Bakersfield on a buzzer-beating shot.  The girls must have been watching the Men on Thursday after their own game ended.  From the newspaper account the next day, it was Adenike Aderinto who got the ball on the inbounds with two seconds and made the shot.  Brooke Salas had 16, but nearly all of that in the first half.  Gia Pack chipped in 10, but what was really encouraging was Dominique Mills had a double double.  This is what the girls need to win; at least three players scoring in double digits. 

Back to the current game, Brown put in another three and then Keyon Jones had a layup to increase the lead to 10.  The Aggies were picking up all the offensive rebounds now.  McCants had a layup after a baseball pass inbounds with under a minute to make it 70-60 with under a minute left for another highlight.  73-62 Aggies win! 

I’m not sure what the crowd size was, but they were really into it.  That was a good halftime comeback for the guys today.  Credit to Coach Jans for his strategy change, clever sub moves, and/or screaming motivational speech at the half.  Terrell Brown led the Aggies with 19.  Not bad for a guy who’s not even on the schedule poster.  Shunn Buchanan had 12 for a career high.  Eli Chuha had a double double. 

Jack noted a little boy in line for autographs afterward.  He was dressed as a little Pistol Pete in line with chaps and cowboy hat.  During the game, he’d also talked about a tiny little boy working the mop by one of the goals.  He only came up to the knees of one of the players.  This is apropos of nothing, but the scene sounded so cute, I really regretted not being there.

1-17-19

Now everybody’s doing it.  After the Aggie Men had won on a last-second shot last week (1-10-19) and the Aggie Women won on a buzzer-beater on Saturday (1-12-19), the UTEP Miner Men also won on the weekend on a shot after a full court inbounds.  It was a literal sub-last second shot.  The other team protested the result, and I think ESPN analysts said that theoretically they couldn’t have gotten the shot off in the time remaining.  Okay, this is all swell, but Johnny McCants is still Clutch Supreme with the highlight of the year. 

I’d like to give you a detailed recap of tonight’s Aggie games, but it’s not going to happen.  It’s not my fault.  The video for the Aggie Women’s home game against Seattle U was supposed to be on Twitch, but they were instead showing a video game competition.  The coverage started off showing one of the competitors break-dancing before the match.  Really.  Needless to say, I didn’t stick with it.  The game was probably on TV, but not only was I way too busy to leave my desk . . . err . . . I also forgot to look.  These things happen when you’re busy!

At least I was able to follow along on Statcast.  Looking on, Holy Cats!  What a game to miss!  It was 20-23 SU at the end of the first quarter.  That’s 43 points in ten minutes!  Brooke Salas already had 10 points.  High-fouling replaced high-scoring in the second quarter to drive down the down the shooting.  It was 36-33 Aggies at the half.  They were shooting over 50%.  Brooke sat out with two fouls for most of the quarter.  Adenike Aderinto stepped up with 8, and Aaliyah Prince had 7 off the bench.

Brooke was interviewed yesterday on the Aggie Coaches Show.  Brooke came off really well, confident, pleasant, and wants to win and help the team.  She hopes to keep playing after graduation.  Adam Young brought up her potential records for this season, but she said she didn’t follow that stuff, but admitted her mom does.  Brooke acknowledged her problem in collecting fouls, so apparently she can’t help it.

Aggies poured it on in the third, 57-44.  Dominique Mills, whom Coach Atkinson nicknamed “D” on the Coaches Show, came on with 10 points.  Brooke was still sitting out most of quarter with 3 fouls.  The Aggies would win in a convincing fashion, 75-55.  Brooke Salas did play the fourth and finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 fouls.  Dominique Mills put up 15 points.  Adenike Aderinto had 11.  The team shot 52%, but troublingly, they went 1 for 9 in three-pointers.

I started listening to the Aggie Men’s pregame show for their road game against SU . . .  err . . . but I got distracted watching my waifu Dizzykitten on Twitch.  Well, she was doing an extended Q and A and she’s so pretty.  Anyway, I missed the first half wherein the Aggies held a slim 26-point lead, 50-24, at halftime.  They were only shooting over 60%.  The best that the Redhawks could manage was that they had a guy named Terrell Brown on their team as well.

I was listening to the second half.  The Aggies were using their bench players about halfway through, but SU wasn’t doing any better.  Coach Jans would ask the Redhawks Cheerleaders and a team photographer to move out from under the basket.  How humiliating.  Apparently, it’s a small venue and the girls were in line to get potentially run over.  I’m pretty sure I’ve seen their gym before in other sports.  While its capacity is under 1000, Jack Nixon reported that it was full tonight.

Speaking of Jack, the team just picked up a new sponsor.  He stumbled all over their tongue-twister name during the ad read.  It’s going to be a long rest of the season.  The Aggies got the Redhawks’ big men in trouble in the first half.  In the second, three SU players fouled out.  Late in the game, Trevelin Queen and Berrick JeanLouis got back-to-back jams that excited the crowd.  Huh?  I was hearing cheering.  There couldn’t have been that many Aggie fans there traveling with the team.  Jack pronounced JeanLouis’ name “Jaan Lou-is,” not “Jaan Lou-ee,” as before.  It’s like the “R-oww-t” 66 Casino ad read, instead of saying “Root” (Route) 66 Casino.

87-60 Aggies!  Holy crap!  Even Coach Jans was pleased during the postgame interview.  Three Aggies finished in double figures.  Eli Chuha had a double double. Heck, 15 Aggies played and all of them scored.  The team shot over 50%.  New long range threat Johnny McCants went 2 for 2 shooting three’s.  While the viewing and listening were a bit disappointing, the results tonight were sweet.