NM State Aggies vs CBU Lancers Men’s Basketball 1-7-23 Part 2

 

Part 1

 

Halftime

I don’t have any interesting out-of-town scores here.  The kids from the Cheerleader camp performed again, as they did at the Women’s game.  Once again, the Cheerleaders dragged out the big heavy mats and dragged them back off.  What a day it’s been for them and the Pan Am support staff.  The best I can say about this double header format is that the media crew only has to set up once.  (They come in in the morning to do it.)  I don’t know if this does anything for attendance at either game.  (The kids and their parents boosted attendance for these two games.)

 

Jack Nixon broke down the two relevant stats regarding CBU’s 20-27 lead over the Aggies.  Rebounds were 24 to 10 and second chance points were 12 to 0, all in favor of the Lancers.  I’m reminded of the Women’s basketball game a couple of weeks ago, where the Aggies heavily outrebounded offensively, but in their case, they didn’t convert those to points enough.  The PA played the Macarena in the break.  Two dudes who looked like the least likely to perform were featured on camera doing an excellent job of it.  You can’t judge a book by its cover.

 

Second Half

It was a rocky start . . . for Jack and Anita Skipper.  They complained that Coach Heiar was in their way as the teams had switched ends.  CBU picked up where they left off with a 3.  Chi Chi Avery answered with a 3.  Deshawndre Washington popped a jumper and made a hook layup to close the score to 27-32 CBU. 

 

Timeout on the court and there was a $5k half-court fan shot.  He hit the rim.  Deshawndre put in a pair of free throws to keep up his scoring.  Unfortunately, 7’ Mady Traore jumped on the back of a Lancer who’d just made a shot, resulting in a 3-point play.  James Beck made a 3 to keep the Aggies in it at 32-37 with 13 minutes left.

 

Deshawndre came back with a layup.  He’d scored 11 and the crowd was into it.  He came out and CBU went on a run.  They hit a 3 and got fouled and got the ball back for a layup, 34-42 with 12 minutes left.  Xavier Pinson put in a 3, his first points of the game.  Timeout.  The T-shirt cannon came out on the floor, but only pointed to other side of the court.  (I don’t need even one more t-shirt.  Stop it, J!)   

 

Beck was called for going over the back.  Jack was befuddled, as Beck was in front of the Lancer player.  The crowd was as well and let the refs know it.  After another CBU 3, it was 37-45 with 11 minutes left.  Beck came back with a steal and was fouled going to the basket.  He sank his throws to make it 41-45. 

 

Pinson tipped a CBU pass, but was called for a backcourt violation.  The crowd disagreed again and started getting ugly with the refs.  Pinson found Issa Muhammad for a dunk.  43-46 and the crowd was into it again.  Beck made a reverse layup, but was called for traveling.  The refs weren’t going to be getting any rides home from the fans tonight. 

 

Issa came back with a layup to make it 45-46.  The crowd began a spontaneous, “Let’s go, Aggies!” chant.  Unfortunately, Issa had a turnover that the Lancers converted on to make it 45-48 with 7 minutes left.  Timeout.  The section next to us won free Raising Canes.  That was also the $10 section Ron and I considered buying into before I got free tickets.  There was also a promo for Twisted Tea.  A guy guzzled a can live on camera. 

 

Deshawndre put in two free throws to get the Aggies within 1 again.  CBU answered with an immediate 3.  The Lancers kept getting a man open behind the arc for the entire game.  Though they had two players with four fouls, CBU still kept up the defensive pressure.  They put in a couple more free throws and another 3.  It was 47-56 with 6 minutes left.  Timeout Aggies.

 

Some fans started leaving.  I can’t entirely blame them.  The Aggies started a full court press, but the Lancers broke it for an easy layup and a foul.  Okay, we can stop with the play-by-play now.  During a break, the Cheerleaders started handing out Whataburger coupons.  I didn’t look at it until later.  OMG, it was for a free burger, no purchase necessary (but I’d buy some fries with it).  Sorry those people left early.  The crowd was deserting after this.  Chi Chi put in a 3 and Quaye Gordon made a steal on a backcourt trap for the last Aggie highlights.   61-70 CBU wins. 

 

We lost to a bunch of white guys?  If they couldn’t jump, they sure could shoot from the outside.  Anita said in the pregame that the team needed to play with “controlled desperation.”  The Aggies didn’t roll over tonight and played hard, but they weren’t doing it with “desperation.” 

 

The crowd energy was way different than at the Women’s Basketball game or at Volleyball.  It felt like it was more than just having more people.  Anita felt the crowd energy needed to be better when the team was down.  Coach Jordan with Volleyball has said the same.  When the team is up, the crowd rolls, but when the team is down, it’s harder to move the masses. 

 

For the final stats, Riley Battin had 18 points and Taran Armstrong had 10 points for the Lancers.  Aggie Deshawndre Washington led all scorers with 20 points.  Issa Muhammad had 10 points and 9 rebounds.  It was 12 to 5 in 3’s, 34-25 in rebounds, 11-6 in offensive rebounds, and 23-3 in second chance points.  All of those stats were in favor of CBU.

 

Ron and I listened to the postgame on the way back to my apartment.  Coach Heiar seemed befuddled in his interview.  He knows his coaching methods work (at least at the Junior College level, where he won a National Championship).  His strange subbing strategy at the beginning of the game was an attempt to get the players who personally got along with each to gel as a unit.  Coach Adams had been doing full-five subbing with her team earlier in the season, but probably not because they didn’t get along with each other.

 

AD Mario Moccia also talked about the team’s troubles on the Aggies Coaches Show the next week.  He said Heiar is using the same methods as Coach Jans, which worked to a WAC championship and an NCAA tournament win last season.  Mario blamed the mass exodus of players when Jans left via the transfer portal.  Heiar was nearly entirely rebuilding the team from scratch.  Of course, having some off court problems has likely impacted the team worse.  The team has plenty of talent.  Hopefully, they get tired of losing and come together as a team soon.