Difficult choice today. Aggie Women’s Basketball was playing at 2:00 and Aggie Baseball was playing at 4:00. I had some ideas of going to both, but necessarily missing part of one or the other. However, it was cloudy and cool Saturday. I decided I’d just go to basketball. As I was driving over to the Pan-Am Center, the sun came out and it warmed up. I decided not to change plans. In retrospect, this was a good choice. (Baseball ran long that night.)
The Ladies beat Jax State on Thursday, 66-47. The Aggies had four players in double figures for that one. It was also pride night, because NMSU thinks its 2020 again as we will see today. It was a kind of light crowd today in the arena at 478. (Aggie Baseball actually had bigger attendance.) The Merch Kiosk was closed.
The Roadrunner Revue Band had plenty of spirit today. I don’t think I’ve ever heard them with so much pep. The Cheerleaders were having fun. A couple of them were dancing a doe-see-doe on court before the team came out. The team was wearing black history month t-shirts in the style of black lives matter t-shirts. At various Aggie sporting events this month, the PA’s have been flogging the university’s DEI programs. I’m sure this isn’t at all political. The team tossed souvenir balls into the crowd after introductions. One senior lady got two of them somehow. (Slightly jealous.)
I missed a basket somewhere in the game on Kennesaw State, today’s opponent. I did this in pen, because I’d forgotten to bring a pencil. I wish the fans I was sitting with were writing this. The guys seemed like they were coaches and were breaking down the game like professionals. I couldn’t even follow everything they were saying.
First Quarter
Fanta Gassama was all over it to start the game. She tipped a ball for a turnover, got an assist to Loes Rozing for a 3, and grabbed a rebound. Molly Kaiser was fouled as she went off court going for a steal. She didn’t get her first touch until nearly 5 minutes in. Molly dropped in a jumper to make it, 7-3 Aggies.
Lucia Yenes and Madi Gewirtz came in after the break. Lucia committed a foul and a pair of KS free throws tied it at 7 with 4 minutes left in the quarter. Sianny Sanchez-Oliver made a steal, but in the scrum for the ball, Sylena Peterson got stepped on and had to come out briefly to get a cut bandaged. A fan yelled out, “It’s basketball, not hockey!” During this time, Molly was getting fouled and converted on 4 free throws. 6’3” and pretty Taylor Cullinan on the Owls stuffed Lucia on a layup. She also jumped a pass for a steal. KS led after 10 minutes, 13-12.
Second Quarter
The black, brown, and queer alliance was honored on court. (That’s what they called themselves.) I was starting to regret coming here. I have a low tolerance for cringe. There was a delay before starting. There was some kind of major spill by the Aggie bench. It took a couple of minutes to clean up.
There a little comedy to start. Sy was inbounding the ball and had to call back Molly to pass to her, as Molly was playing the point guard position. Fanta made a rebound and was fouled hard. Molly was called for a charge. With two fouls, she came out. KS went up 17-12. Timeout Aggies.
The naacp was honored on court. I’ve seen commercials for them on TV lately. I wonder who pays for those? I wonder if they were getting grant money from USAID? (R.I.P.) The Band cheered and chanted, “Beer!” for an Aggie beer commercial. They have their priorities straight.
Madi was blocked on her third attempt at a 3. Fanta was called a travel (that was a common call today). That’s okay, since she was getting mugged by two Owls in the lane anyway. Sy and Madi both had tips for turnovers against KS. Fanta came out. This was a surprising with Molly still sitting. Imani Warren came in. She unfortunately threw the ball away on two fast breaks. It was not an up tempo game. Fast breaks were rare.
Without their usual stars, the Aggies were still playing hard. Lucia grabbed 2 rebounds. Sianny grabbed a rebound from her knees and fed Lucia for an assist on a layup. Sianny grabbed another ball for a tie up and a turnover, but she was instead called for a foul. The crowd was incensed. The refs really know how to fire up a crowd.
Madi missed her fourth shot. Molly finally came back in with KS up, 21-16. She immediately hit a 3. Lucia won a tie up without a foul. Madi had block. Lucia had a block with a steal and with a layup to tie it at 21. Fanta knocked down a defender on a layup. Again, no foul. The Aggies were back up, 23-21, at the half.
Third Quarter
There was no halftime show. I think I’m grateful for that given what I’d seen on court today when the teams weren’t playing. Molly gave Fanta a serious talk before play started. To this point, Fanta only had 4 points. KS started trapping this quarter and caught the Aggies off guard for a turnover.
Molly came back with another tipped ball turnover, but a travel call on Fanta turned it back over. Sy took a charge, but then a bad pass afterward created another turnover. Fanta was taken out after the turnover. Sylena took another charge and that wiped out a KS layup. Jaila Harding came in and splashed a 3. KS took a timeout down 29-25 with 7 minutes left in the quarter.
Emoji Cam was activated. Surprisingly, Wave the Wonder Dog was here and came on camera. This got a big cheer out of the crowd. Jaila hit a jumper out the break. For the Owls, Keyarah Berry made a jumping offensive rebound in the lane and shot it in, probably the most athletic play of the game. 31-28 Aggies with 4 minutes left.
Out of the Media timeout, Lucia found Sy for layup. Lucia then tipped a ball and won a tie up. Molly was fouled and made a pair of free throws. 35-28 Aggies with 3 minutes left. On the other end, Keyarah hit a 3 and made a layup and drew a foul to get Owls within 2.
Sianny was fouled. She’d take a deep breath and made both to make it a 4-point lead. Keiara Griffin was fouled on a layup and made the shot to get the Owls within 1. Molly and Sianny both drew a fouls and made their shots. The Aggies were up 41-36. The Owls had the final possession, but Molly drew a charge to end the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
One of the fans near me won the Fan of the Game award. The kid got tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters, who are coming to town soon. Back to play, Sianny fouled an Owl on a layup and came up limping. She came out and Madi came back in. The KS foul shot was missed, but the Owls got the ball back. Prencis Harden cashed that in with a jumper and another foul shot. She then had a layup and another foul shot. Suddenly, KS was up 44-42 with 8 minutes left in the game. Sy came back with a pair of layups to tie it at 46 with 6 minutes left. Prencis scored again to put the Owls up by 2. The Aggies took a timeout with 5 minutes left.
Finally, the black programs at NMSU were honored in the break. Oh good, we’re done with this today. The Cheerleaders handed out Bundt cakes for a promotion and then they danced on the sidelines to the Latin music. Lee Lee Willis, second shortest player on the court, popped a 3 for the Owls out the break, 51-46 KS. Sianny, shortest player on the court, fought her way through the lane for a layup.
Lucia finally ended her day with her fifth foul. After that, Jaila fouled Lee Lee, who converted on 2 free throws. The crowd was good and angry again, but felt a little better a moment later as Keiara fouled out. Molly had missed a couple of her last jumpers, but converted on her next one to make it, 54-50 KS, with 2 minutes left.
Fanta had been quiet in the second half. At one point, she had the ball at the top of the key and was unguarded and still just passed the ball. It seemed like something was wrong with her. The Aggies suddenly ran a trap and it worked. Molly got a layup and then a steal. The refs made a long review to confirm possession. In the break, Wave was shown again on video. He didn’t entirely seem into it.
After the delay, Molly hit a jumper to get the Aggies within 1 with a minute left. Sy forced a turnover. There was another lengthy review to confirm possession. Back to play, Prencis fouled out. She fouled Madi, who was 0 for 4 today. The freshman was at the line and obviously fully aware of the situation. She dropped in both free throws. 58-57 Aggies with 23 seconds left. Nice job, Madi.
At the other end, the Aggies got a stop and Molly was fouled. She missed the first one. Molly put her hands over her face, but made the next. Down by 2, the Owls had 16 seconds left with possession of the ball. They missed the shot, but won the tie up. Unfortunately, Carly Hooks, who’d made the rebound, didn’t realize it was Owl ball and pounded the ball into the court for a technical foul. Molly put in two more free throws and the Aggies got ball back and dribbled it out. Aggies win 61-57.
I have to admit, I didn’t quite want to win like that. Hooks was trying to keep it together, but seemed to be wiping away tears after the play and as she left the court. I felt bad for her. [Edit: an assistant coach on the Coach's Show Monday felt the same way.] The Aggies had no such doubts. The team came around the sidelines for the fans. Molly stopped and signed an autograph for a kid. She broke out a rare smile.
Honestly, it was game between a team that wasn’t that good (KS has a 10-16 record) and a team that wasn’t playing well today. There was a lot of futility there on the court. I was heartened here, as these were the kind of close games that the Aggies having been losing over the last couple of seasons. They’re learning how to win.
Kennesaw State shot 44%, 28% on 3’s, and 62% on free throws. They made hay in the lane with 30 points in the paint. Keyarah Berry led the Owls with 21 points. Lee Lee Willis had 10 points and Prencis Harden had 14 points with 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Aggies shot 34% and 21% on 3’s. The difference was that they shot 88% on free throws. They also had 26 points off turnovers. KS kind of did themselves in with fouls and turnovers. Molly Kaiser led all scorers with 22 points. Sylena Peterson had 10 points. Sianny Sanchez-Oliver had 9 points and led the Aggies with 6 rebounds. Again, she was the shortest player on the court. Madi Gewirtz had 2 points, but had what was the clutch winning shot.
After the game, it was bright and sunny without a cloud in the sky. I nearly regretted not going to baseball, but instead went for Subway and ice cream. Aggie Men’s Basketball was also playing on the road this afternoon. Peter Flipovity, who’d had a bad case of the flu and missed two weeks and lost 12 pounds, came back to lead the Aggies to victory over Jax State on Thursday. He had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the game. Against Kennesaw State today, Zawdie Jackson had 20 points and Flipovity had 18 points and 9 rebounds in a 60-49 Aggie victory.
We’ll talk about this weekend’s Baseball tomorrow.
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