It was a cold and wet day here in Las Cruces, New Mexico. (Am I about to write a hardboiled detective story here?) I didn’t even go outside, which meant I didn’t go out to eat like I usually do on gameday. By the time I left, there was a big black cloud overhead just as the sun was setting. It was picturesque. I admit that part of me just wanted to stay home, but I’d taken the day off to see today’s Aggie Women’s Basketball game against Utah Tech (and Volleyball tomorrow). I felt obligated.
The Pan-Am Center parking lot was already blocked off for football on Saturday. Inside, (sigh) I bought another t-shirt. But hey, isn’t it cool! I blame AD Moccia for this. He put a video of it on Twitter. I appreciate the Led Zeppelin-inspired design, but you guys do know that the band was so named because they thought it would be a giant disaster?
I also picked up a new Women’s Basketball poster and a Men’s Basketball poster, along with a couple of schedule cards. (I may get to see a Men’s game next week.) The Anthem started before I got to my seat. We’re still doing the Anthem 10 minutes before the game for basketball with both teams off the court. Virtually nobody was there in the stands. Eventually, the crowd filled in a bit (attendance 762).
I passed over the team’s first game, which was an exhibition. (I wanted to watch NASCAR instead. Sorry.) They beat UC Irvine on the road after that. This year’s squad is pretty international with three players from Spain, one from the Netherlands, one from Hungry, and one from Mali. Most significant is who returned. Captain Molly Kaiser came back for her graduate year. Thank you.
I almost didn’t recognize Coach Adams on the sideline. She’s slimmed down a bit and dressed casually, rather than with her usual bling. Generously, the whole team actually tossed out souvenir balls after player introductions. One ball came my way. I didn’t feel like hustling for it, since I was probably going to toss it to someone else anyway. Another fan holding a kid caught it on the rebound.
First Quarter
The program was just a piece of paper with the roster. Things have gone downhill a bit from when they were handing out slick color programs. Anyway, I didn’t really have an easy way of keeping score at the game and didn’t try.
The newcomer from Hungry, Anna Csenyi, started off the game with a quick jumper. No, I’m not entirely sure how to pronounce that. I got Caity Szczesny’s name eventually; I’ll get hers. Emily Isaacson on the Trailblazers came back with a 3. Fanta Gassama was fouled and made her free throws and then Molly put in a 3. However, the Aggies were fouling every time on defense. Sylena Peterson picked up two fouls and had to sit out the rest of the first half, but would return in the second.
Fanta had two rebounds already and the Aggies briefly went to a full-court press. They got a couple of turnovers from turning up the defense, though they got no points from it. The Aggies picked up their fifth foul. Trailblazer Chardonnay Hartley, who was the smallest player on the court at 5’3”, drove the lane and got the basket and the foul. The score was tied at 11 with 5 minutes left in the quarter.
UTT missed their next two opportunities. Molly got a rebound and an assist to Fanta for a basket. Molly then forced a turnover. Fanta collected the ball for a layup. 15-11 Aggies with 3 minutes left. Timeout UTT. The Trailblazers scored two quick baskets to tie it at 15. That was a good talk by the UTT coach.
Hartley got fouled again. This time the crowd was angry and calling it a “flop.” Molly unsuccessfully lobbied the ref. Molly and Trailblazer Ellie Taylor traded 3’s and the score was tied at 20. Timeout Aggies. The team came back with Fanta making a layup and getting a rebound, Molly hitting a jumper, and Jaila Harding getting a 3. That was another good talk by a coach in a timeout. 27-22 Aggies after 10 minutes.
Second Quarter
That was quite the first quarter. UTT began the second with three quick fouls. The Roadrunner Revue Band, indefatigable in their cheering, yelled out, “Busted!” The Aggies took advantage with Molly sinking two free throws and getting a jumper after a turnover. Sianny Sanchez-Oliver sank a 3 to put the Aggies up 36-24. Timeout UTT.
There was a promo for Aggie Soccer in the break. They’re at the C-USA tournament. They convincingly won their first game, 4-1. Their semi-final game is Friday afternoon. I noticed a tall fellow below me that I recognized as co-worker. I haven’t actually met him; I’ve just seen him around. He had one of his kids up on his shoulders and got a t-shirt for him during a toss from the Cheerleaders.
UTT had to call another timeout after not being able to get the ball inbounded. Credit the Aggie defense. Freshman Madi Gewirtz came in for the first time for the Aggies. Tall and pretty, she reminded me of Maggie Lightheart (our sweetheart) on the Volleyball team. They could be sisters. (They’re not.) Meanwhile, there was some rough play under the basket. Molly went down hard enough that you could hear the impact. She got right back up and sank two free throws. 38-24 Aggies with 5 minutes left.
Hartley got a basket and drew another foul. The crowd was shouting, “Flopper!” Fanta got revenge by getting a steal off her the next time she came down the lane. Some girls from the Volleyball team came in. Three of them were wearing pajama bottoms. I guess they just woke up and remembered the game. PA Ed went up and said, “Hi” to them during halftime. Molly hit jumper in the last few seconds to make it, 46-30 Aggies going into the half. She had 20 for the half.
Third Quarter
There was no halftime entertainment. That’s okay. I ran into some guys from the Football team on the way to the bathroom. I also noticed a camera operator was a son of a co-worker. I chatted with him for a minute. I asked how hard it was to take up the Teraflex floor from Volleyball. He said it wasn’t that big a deal to turn around between sports.
YMCA played on the PA. Though they play it all of the time, given that it was Trump’s theme song, I was concerned some fans might become angry or start crying. (I saw a Twitch streamer last night cry for 15 minutes at the start of her stream. I don’t think she even talks politics.) Watching the crowd trying to do the Macarena afterward was actually fairly entertaining. Cute moment during warm-ups, a little boy with the team did some sprints with them out on the court.
Anna began the quarter with a 3 and Fanta took a foul and sank both of her throws. Brie Crittendon on UTT went down hard under the basket. She came out in obvious pain. She was able to walk later, but couldn’t put any weight on her knee. Back to play, Hartley went coast-to-coast for a layup. (Again, she’s 5’3”.) UTT got a steal, but Sylena managed to steal it back.
Anna splashed another 3 to make it, 54-32. Hartley answered with a 3, but Molly dropped in a 3 right after, 57-35 Aggies with 5 minutes left. Meanwhile in the aisle, the little boy of the co-worker was wearing the shirt his dad had caught. It fit him like a full-length dress, which he tripped on on the stairs. (No damage. No tears.)
Lucia Yenes, whom I’m desperate to see play well, got called for a foul on Hartley. Lucia didn’t touch her. I mean really; they didn’t’ come into contact with one another. Okay, now I’m calling it a “flop.” The frat boys behind the Aggie bench started chanting something that sounded obscene. We went to a timeout. The little boy was featured on Bongo Cam.
Molly got a layup out of the break. PA Ed called it, “MK7!” 60-38 Aggies. Lucia was pulled out of the game. Coach Adams had her stand there next to her for a couple of minutes before giving her a lecture. I think the Coach wants to see her play well, too. Molly hit another 3 to make it 62-42. I’d say, “Call the Fire Department,” but it’s too late. She’s already burned them to the ground.
Fanta came up with another steal. You don’t expect this from your big players. Molly would get an assist to Fanta for a basket. Molly was knocked down and still made the basket. She’d finish the quarter with 31 points. 66-43 Aggies.
Fourth Quarter
The co-worker’s boy got a mini football tossed by the Cheerleaders. The kid was cleaning up. It pays to be young and cute and on that note. Madi was back in and immediately got a steal and a layup. Molly had the trifecta with a steal, a layup, and the foul. She was knocked down again on the play, but came up all smiles. The Coach took her out at that point to a nice hand from the crowd.
Fanta fed Madi for a layup. Next time down, Madi was knocked down by Nicole Willardson, but Nicole helped her back up. Madi would take a 3 and miss, but took the inbounds pass under the basket for an easy two. 78-57 Aggies with 5 minutes left in the game.
Imani Warren came in and got a layup and got her first points. PA Ed came on in a break and announced that Molly Kaiser was the first Aggie basketball player since 2014 to score 35 points. On court, we had some nice teamwork with Lucia passing to Madi, who found Diarrah Sissoko under the basket.
82-55 Aggies with 2 minutes left in the game, the crowd really got mad at the ref for a turnover call. Guys, I appreciate the passion, but look at the scoreboard. Madi scored a long jumper. I think we got another star in the making here. Other members of the bench started working their way on court, as Marta Guilera and Noah Garcia came in. (“Noah” is a girl’s name in Spain?) Sianny had another steal and Hartley got in one final flop for a foul. We’re done here. 85-63 Aggies!
Our star of the game was, unquestionably, the little boy of the co-worker. He was on camera constantly and stole the show. Oh, and then there’s Molly Kaiser. She had 35 points, 4 steals, and 5 rebounds. Broadcaster Jack Nixon was at the game as a fan. He went over and congratulated her after the game. If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is.
Fanta Gassama scored 14 points and had 14 rebounds and at least a couple of steals. I think this team has a pair of stars. Overall, the Aggies shot a blistering 50% and were 31% on 3-pointers. Chardonnay Hartley led the Trailblazers with 23 points, Emily Isaacson had 16, and Calyn Dallas had 10. Utah Tech’s main problem was that they only shot 37% and couldn’t stop Molly.
There were autographs afterward. I would have waited to schedule this for a game with a bunch of kids there, but there was still a decent crowd for signing. Lucia Yenes was the first one up. I told her to listen to the coaches, because I wanted to see her play more. Hopefully she took that the right way. Fanta Gassama was next to her and I congratulated her on having a great game.
I wanted to tell Madi Gewirtz about her “sister” on the Volleyball team, but wasn’t able to, which was probably a good thing. Coach Adams was signing. This was unexpected. I told her about a co-worker (not the one with the kid), who’d been impressed with a talk by her at a seminar. She said it was a blessing to be able to address and inspire people. (There’s a coach for you.) Lastly was Molly Kaiser. She looked a bit gassed and the aches and pains from hitting the floor were probably catching up with her. I thanked her for coming back here to play for another year.
It was cold outside, but thankfully not raining. I went home for some hot chocolate. We’ll be doing this again tomorrow for Volleyball.
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