Thursday, December 15, 2022

NM State Aggies vs UTEP Miners Women’s Basketball 12-13-22 Part 1


Finally back to see the Aggie Women Basketball team.  Since their epic win over UNM (11-15-22), the team had had a disastrous 1-5 road trip.  The last game was a heartbreaking 1-point loss to the Lobos in the Albuquerque in front to 6,000 fans.  (No, I don’t know why their Women’s team is so popular.  They’re not that good.) 

 

Ron and I got together for dinner beforehand from Legend Burger.  Their burgers were excellent as always.  However the game turned out, at least we had a great meal.  The weather was not wonderful.  A hard cold wind had been blowing since yesterday.  It might have affected attendance tonight (808).  I might have expected more for a rivalry game and more UTEP fans.       

 


Once inside, I went right over to the merch kiosk.  I had the unfinished business of purchasing an Aggie Soccer WAC Championship t-shirt.  $30!  Ouch!  I have paid for my loyalty.  Don’t let it said I don’t love those Soccer girls.  (They didn’t even have the shirts out.  I had to ask for them and I was lucky they still had one in my size.) 

 

Santa Claus was in the house.  He was up front taking requests.  (Awesome outfit and beard.  He was a pro, possibly the real Santa.)  I don’t want anything, so I didn’t bother sitting in his lap.  Men’s Basketball finally put out a poster.  It featured their star, Xavier Pinson.  (Also, I’m not going to talk about the team’s troubles right now.  They’ve got unresolved off-court problems.  I’m happier with the Football team.  I plan on covering them in a separate post later in the month.)

   

We ran into Marketing Director, Nicole Sack, and had pleasant chat.  She was really wired.  She said something about eating too many of Santa’s cookies.  We were chatting about the finally completed concourse.  The construction for the new box seats had finally been cleared away.  It was looking good, but they still wouldn’t be ready for Sunday’s Men’s game. 

 

The teams, Aggies and Miners, alternated on court warming up.  Moe Shida flashed a big smile.  She seemed happy to be back playing at home.  Katia Gallegos was no longer on the Miners.  I’ll miss her.  I also missed the Anthem.  I gotten up to go to the bathroom and thought I had a couple of minutes before it would start.  The teams weren’t there for it anyway, but Ron noticed that there’s now a small Canadian flag flying in the rafters.  I think that was a leftover from the Men playing a Canadian team a couple of weeks ago. 

 

Aggie Coach Adams and Miner Coach Baker shared a hug before the game.  They’re apparently friends.  Coach Adams was in a rhinestone-studded jacket and high spike heels.  One of the female refs was wearing a mask.  If you’re wondering, she had her whistle in her mouth underneath it.  Behind the Aggie bench, I was fascinated by a beautiful young woman with a mythic-level of curly black hair on her head.  Just gorgeous.  You could get lost in it.

 

There was no Band for the game, though the Sundancers and Cheerleaders (and Pistol Pete) were there working hard.  The team had a new intro video with footage from their recent games.  I really liked the song.  It was an old-timey Western song that was mixed with a rap soundtrack.  I may have weird tastes.  Something I did not notice until later in the game, Sylena Peterson, who’s played well for the team, wasn’t there tonight.  I don’t know what’s happened to her.  She might be injured, but I don’t think I saw her on the bench.

 

First Quarter

I didn’t try to keep up with the scoring in the game, finally acknowledging that I didn’t have a scorecard.  The Miners started off in a full court press.  They also picked up two quick fouls before getting a basket.  Molly Kaiser scored the first points of the game for the Aggies.  Both teams were struggling to score playing a half-court offense.  Molly got a steal and the game opened up a bit and became more up tempo.  Four minutes in, Coach Adams subbed in three players.  She didn’t sub out all the starters like she was earlier in the season. 

 

Molly put up another basket.  She even stole the ball from a teammate.  Shania Harper grabbed a ball from a Miner and hit Moe for a layup.  Elina Arike for UTEP popped a 3.  She’s their big forward, but can shoot from the outside and can even make free throws.  The score was 8-10 Miners with 3 minutes left in the quarter going into a Media timeout.

 

The Aggies started beating the press pretty easily by passing down court.  Unfortunately, the refs kept hitting up both teams with travelling calls.  It was annoying.  I don’t know if I’m blaming the players, or if it’s like when the refs call a bunch of double touches in volleyball.  It depends on the crew how much it’s called.  Molly dropped a couple more jumpers.  N’Yah Boyd for UTEP shot a 3 that went all the way in and then spun out.   

 

Taylor Donaldson came up with a layup, drew the foul, and made the free throw for 3 points.  Molly made a pretty step-back jumper.  Taylor made exactly the same move for a shot at the buzzer.  Aggies were up 17-12 after 10 minutes.

 

Second Quarter

Molly was at 8 points.  Ene Adams came into the game for the Aggies.  I had not seen her playing before.  I wonder if she was a transfer.  She made a fake under the basket for a layup.  Arike matched Ene with a bucket down low.  Meanwhile, there were more travelling calls on both teams. 

 

Miner Avery Crouse hit a 3 to make it 19-19 with 6 minutes left in the quarter.  The Aggies took a timeout.  During the break, the Cheerleaders tossed t-shirts to the crowd.  (Not the one I had just gotten.)  A girl tried to toss one to an older guy, but it fell short and was intercepted by the guy below him.  The older guy made a show of being angry on camera.  (He didn’t mean it.  He was also wearing the giveaway hat from the last game, which I forgot to wear.)

 

Back to the action, Fama Thiam, wearing huge bandages on both her knees, found Ene under the basket for an easy bucket.  Ene also made a steal and passed to Soufia Inoussa for a layup.  Molly missed a shot, which was rare to this point, but got her own rebound, and then drew a foul on a last second shot.  She made the first free throw.  Suddenly, the refs gathered and hit Coach Baker up with a technical.  (I don’t know what he did or said.)  Molly proceeded to make the next three free throws.  Nails.

 

Fama next found Harper under the basket for two.  29-19 with 4 minutes left.  Molly picked up her second foul and came out.  As the Miners started coming back, Molly was inserted back in and got a layup.  Harper and Moe combined on a steal, but their fast break led to turnover, but led to a UTEP layup the other way.  It was 31-27 Aggies at the half.

 

Part 2 

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