NM State Aggies vs GCU Lopes Women’s Basketball 2-4-23

Aggie Women’s Basketball was coming off of three-straight conference wins into tonight’s game with GCU.  They’d played a weeknight game this week at home that I didn’t take time off for.  (Four players finished in double figures for that game.)  I did take time off from work last week to be sick for three days.  Actually, I was okay after two days, but they told me to stay home another day.  I think about 20 people at work have gotten this over the last two weeks.  I got off lucky.  I’m fine, but several others are on heavy medication and still not feeling well.

Ron did go to the Thursday game and brought me back this cool souvenir hand towel giveaway.  I’m not sure what to do with it.  I wish I had some little basketball figures and a couple of little hoops to put on it to play with.  We went to Whataburger before the game.  Ron used the free Whataburger we’d gotten at a Men’s game last month (1-7-23).  I got a really good, but messy Honey Barbeque Chicken Strip sandwich.  The cashier asked if we wanted a brownie.  There was a competition between the Las Cruces restaurants and the El Paso ones over selling them.  Ron declined, but I got one and that was my best decision of the day.  It was very fresh and filled with chunks of chocolate.

 

Tonight’s game was honoring female college athletes and Coach Adams’ coach when she was playing, Pat Summitt.  The team was wearing t-shirts featuring Summitt.  On the back it had her slogan, “Left foot, right foot, breathe, repeat.”  I was telling Ron about her and told him she was a really good coach.  “In her prime, if she’d come here to coach the Aggie Men’s team, I’d be excited about it,” I said.  I don’t think Ron appreciated her until they ran the tribute video where they showed picture of her and her eight national championship trophies (one of which Adams was a part of).           

 

The Roadrunner Band was back for the game.  The crowd was pretty good (attendance 969).  There was a high school boy’s basketball team sitting behind the Aggie bench.  There seemed to be a couple of girl’s high school teams in crowd.  Some Aggie Women’s teams present, who would come out on court at halftime.  (I noted that the teams weren’t sitting next to each other, but well apart.)  Below us, a grandpa was holding up his granddaughter, who was wearing an Aggie Cheerleader outfit.  He was getting her to do the fight song.  It was too cute.    

Coach Adams was in a silver jacket studded with rhinestones.  On the other side, GCU was led by a petite, cute blonde, Coach Molly Miller.  I wanted to ditch Ron and see what she was doing for dinner.  Ron was thinking the same.  (Hey!)  The team had yet another new intro video.  Lucia Yenes’ behind the back pass wasn’t in it.  Lucia also wasn’t suited up to play.  Ashlee Strawbridge was a somewhat surprise starter this afternoon.

 

First Quarter

The Lopes hopped out to a 0-6 lead.  The Aggies were trying to shoot 3’s unsuccessfully.  The Coach called a quick timeout 3 minutes into the game.  Generally, GCU was taller.  After the timeout, 6’2” Evan Zars racked up a block and snatched an offensive rebound by simply reaching over everyone.  6’2” Olivia Lane posted up on successive plays for baskets.

 

The Aggies went 0 for 5 shooting before Molly Kaiser finally hit a jumper to make it 2-10 5 minutes in.  Coach Adams subbed out four.  Molly drew a block basically running into three players guarding the basket.  She dropped in both her free throws.  The Aggies turned up the defense.  They trapped Lane for a turnover.  Ashlee snagged a couple of hard rebounds.  Tayelin Grays muscled her way to the basket for two.     

 

Sylena Peterson put in a jumper.  Tayelin made two more baskets and went to the line for a foul shot.  The throw missed, but Sylena snatched the rebound.  Tayelin got the ball back and drained a 3 to end the quarter.  15-21 GCU.

 

Second Quarter

This was an interesting addition to the crowd.  A very light-skinned young black woman came down the aisle with a big blue Afro.  She was wearing a white top with a white mini-skirt, white boots, and a pair of large glasses.  It sort of 70’s fashion, but not quite.  She attracted attention.  Pistol Pete came up into the crowd.  He danced with the little Cheerleader girl on camera.

 

Ron started muttering to himself after the Aggies air-balled their first shot.  The Aggies did keep up their defense.  Taylor Donaldson made a half-court steal and hit Tayelin on a fast break for a layup.  22-27 after 5 minutes.  I was getting my view on defense blocked by a cheering guy standing in front of me.  The team was getting rougher on defense, which was generating fouls. 

 

Sabou Gueye got a rebound and started a fast break.  She missed the shot, but Tayelin followed up with a basket.  24-28 with 4 minutes left.  The crowd was in an uproar after a missed GCU free throw and an apparent Aggie rebound that was waived off.  Molly made a steal, but accidently threw the ball away right after.  Sylena hit a running layup and Molly hit a last-second jumper to end the half.  30-34 GCU.

 

Halftime

There was a $1k scholarship giveaway right after halftime started.  A pretty Band member won it.  For Women in Sports Day, the Aggie Women’s teams came down to the court.  This included Tennis, Golf (who were wearing really snazzy long sleeve tops that I’d seen Men’s Basketball coaches wearing, where do you get them?), Soccer (Coach Baarts was there and stayed for the rest of the game), Softball, Swim & Dive, Cheerleaders, Sundancers, Track, and Volleyball (Morgan Stewart was there, Ron was happy, Cat Kelly was too and I was happy).  The ceremony was long enough that the basketball teams didn’t get much warmup back on the court.     

 

Third Quarter

Molly came out with a jumper.  The Aggies pressed and Tayelin made a steal.  Sylena made a turnover trying to make an inside pass to a player cutting to the basket.  Next trip down, Sylena tried it again and hit Tayelin for a layup.  34-38 with 7 minutes left.

I noticed Deshawndre Washington from the Men’s team was here watching the game again.  My favorite sports marketer, Emerson, was here and looking elegant in a white oversized Men’s dress shirt.  I noticed a guy in the crowd came over and gave the little Cheerleader girl a pom-pom.  Everyone was enchanted with her. 

 

Molly appeared to take a charge, but was instead called for her third foul.  The crowd was unhappy with the call.  Sylena muscled one in to make it 36-43, but Naudia Evans hit a 3 for the Lopes to make it a 10-point lead with 3 minutes left.  The Aggies were not giving up.  Molly made a running layup and drew a charge.  Soufia Inoussa hit a big 3 at the end of the quarter to make it 41-49 GCU.

 

Fourth Quarter

Tayelin knocked down a pair of free throws and Soufia hit another 3 to prompt a GCU timeout.  46-49 with 7 minutes left.  Sylena hit a jumper, but Lane made a layup and made a free throw to make it 48-54 with 4 minutes left.  During a ref review, a loose ball rolled all the way down court to the Cheerleaders.  They tossed it back to the refs.

 

Sylena made a pair of free throws, but Lane again made a layup and drained a free throw to make it a 7-point lead.  Lope Dominique Phillips increased the lead to 10 after hitting a 3.  The Aggies took a timeout.  Back to play, Molly fouled out with 2 minutes left.  Tayelin came up with a steal, but missed the layup. 

 

In the tunnel, the Aggie Men and their opponents, Seattle U, were waiting to take the court.  Tayelin buried a 3 coming out of a GCU timeout.  Shania Harper for the Aggies fouled out in the final minute.  The Aggies successfully trapped, but GCU called their final timeout to get out of it.  The crowd booed.  The Aggies also took their last timeout.  There were three timeouts in the final minute. 

 

Soufia made a layup and the Aggies got the ball back.  Tayelin hit another 3 and the Aggies started intentionally fouling with seconds left, 59-62.  The officials stopped play for a review to keep up the tension.  GCU made 2 of 4 free throws on two trips to the line.  That was enough to seal a 59-64 win for the Lopes.        

 

That was a disappointing end, but it was a good game.  Olivia Lane led all scorers with 26 points for GCU.  Tiarra Brown had 13 points and Evan Zars had 12 rebounds.  For the Aggies, Tayelin Grays led with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks, Molly Kaiser had 12 points and Sylena Peterson had 11.  The Aggies had 19 points off turnovers and 21 second chance points, but GCU shot 47%.  The Aggies shot 36%.  The Aggie Women seem to be one good player short of being great.

 

Autographs

There was a surprise announcement of autographs during the game.  It was wasn’t announced beforehand.  It was up in the concourse right after the game.  The crowd was coming in for the Men’s game, making it crowded.  The Men’s Golf team was showing off their new “Swinging Pete” logo and selling something.  I admit was interested in their hats with the new logo.

 

Ron was too cool to stand in line with a bunch of little girls and walked around the concourse.  Actually, I was at the back of the line.  Ron’s “niece” was there in front of me, as was the girl with the blue Afro.  A mom with two adorable little boys was just in front of me.  I think she was a former player, since she knew the coach who was the color commentator for the game, and he knew her as he walked by. 

 

The little boys were a hit with the girls when I finally got there.  I felt unloved.  Sylena Peterson was up first.  I was glad I got to tell her I appreciated her effort this season.  Ron ran into her later and said the same.  I think she’s his favorite for her hardnosed play.  Aussie Ashlee Strawbridge was next.  I asked if she’d met Rachel Phillips, the El Paso sportscaster, also from Australia.  She hadn’t, but wanted to. 

 

I got to give Tayelin Grays congratulations on her great season.  I wished I’d been about to ask her what flipped her switch to suddenly turn her into a great player this season.  I told Lucia Yenes she had the Play of the Year with her behind the back pass.  I think she nearly blushed over the recognition.  Moe Shida adored the two little boys and got a picture with their mom.  I didn’t do as well.  I’m still wondering how she got here from Japan.  Lastly, I was glad I got to thank Molly Kaiser for her effort.  I think she was glad for it.

 

I’d asked Ron if he wanted to stay for the Aggie Men’s Basketball game.  I was ambivalent, but still willing to pay full price since I didn’t have anything better to do this evening.  He needed to go somewhere after the game though.  After 9 straight conference losses, the Men finally won on Wednesday against a good SFA team at home.  Listening to the game, I learned that color analyst, Anita Skipper, was the Homecoming Queen one year when she was playing.  She did it all.  The Men won again on Saturday night, 82-75, over Seattle U.  The guys are finally starting to play as a team.  I don’t know if it’s too late for their season or not, but it’s good to see.