Aggies survive against Fresno State

By: Anthony Esparza

Photo by: Zack Ponce 

The New Mexico State men’s basketball team hung on to defeat a scrappy Fresno State squad 60-56 at the Pan American Center Saturday.

Despite being outmuscled in the first half, Fresno State was able to remain within striking distance because of efficient free-throw shooting. The Bulldogs were 7-10 from the charity stripe in the first half and went on to finish 13-17 from the free-throw line for the game. 

“Regardless of their record, they have been fighting everybody tooth and nail,” NMSU coach Marvin Menzies said of Fresno State. “I commend my guys for staying together, playing together, not getting frustrated and executing down the stretch.”

Fresno State outscored NMSU 29-25 in the second half and even took the lead down the stretch. However, key scores and stops late in the game propelled the Aggies to a gritty four-point win over the Bulldogs.

“We’re accustomed to playing ugly games and today was definitely ugly,” NMSU senior forward Wendell McKines said. “We just came out with the win, and that’s what it’s all about and we’ll move on.”

McKines finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, racking his 12^th double-double of the season. However, the Bulldogs held him to just six points in the second half.

Sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe finished with a team-high 18 points for Fresno State, one of three Bulldogs who finished with double-digit points. However, Olekaibe missed a shot that would have tied the game with 1:23 to play.

With the win, NMSU improved to 15-7 overall and 5-2 in Western Athletic Conference play. Fresno State fell to 9-14 and 1-6 in WAC play. 

“We feel good about the position we’re in and preparing ourselves to finish strong,” McKines said. “It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. We’re looking to finish strong and see what happens.”

The Aggies continue their four-game home stand by hosting Cal-State Bakersfield on Wednesday. A pair of free-throws by junior forward Tyrone Watson led NMSU to a 73-72 win over the Roadrunners on Jan. 2.

 “I think we have a great opportunity against a good team that we only beat by one at their place,” Menzies said. “They’re similar to a lot of our conference teams, so it’s a good test for us. They’ll run some things that we’ll see in conference, so it’ll be a good test. I think it will give us a chance to get better.”

Aggie softball ready for 2012

By: Anthony Esparza

Photo courtesy of NMSU Media Relations Department

As the start of the new season approaches, the New Mexico State softball team is putting the finishing touches on offseason practice.

The reigning Western Athletic Conference champs return 13 players from last season, and welcome nine freshmen to the team. The experienced players have spent much of the offseason preparing the newcomers for the 2012 campaign.

“The 13 (returning players) went through the same season and understand the reason that we were so successful is because of how hard we worked,” NMSU coach Kathy Rodolph said. “They have definitely been able to carry that over to the nine freshmen and get them to understand that the one thing that we can control is how hard we work.”

Hard work certainly paid off for the Aggies in 2011. The team won a school-record 44 games and reached the NCAA Tournament for the time in program history.

Power was NMSU’s strength in 2011. As a team, the Aggies finished the season with 82 home runs and 375 runs batted in.

Although the Aggies still have players who can hit the ball and drive in runs, speed is going to play a key role in the team’s success this year. Rodolph hopes the combination of power and speed will keep opposing defenses on their heels.

The non-conference portion of the schedule will present a challenge for NMSU. However, Rodolph believes if the Aggies want to be recognized as a top tier program they must challenge themselves by playing against elite teams.

“It’s going to be a very difficult preseason,” Rodolph said. “At the same time, we are now in the top 50 as a program, so basically if you want to play other top-50 schools those are the teams you’re going to play.”

When non-conference play ends, the Aggies will then begin the defense of their conference title in a competitive WAC.

“I think it’s going to be very tough and evenly matched,” Rodolph said of the conference. “Every single series is going to be important. We need to win the ones at home and then hope to get an advantage on the road, because I feel that competition across the WAC is going to be very strong.”

NMSU opens the season by hosting the Hotel Encanto Invitational at the Softball Complex. The Aggies play Indiana on Feb. 10.

2011 Stats

Overall record: 44-17

 Conference: 17-4

 Home: 23-9

 Away: 12-5

Neutral: 9-3

Singles: 577

Doubles:  93

Triples: 9

Home runs: 82

RBI: 375

On-base percentage: .430

Stolen bases: 86

Spring athletics: five storylines to follow

By: Anthony Esparza

 

With many storylines for Aggie fans to follow, whether it is baskeball, baseball, softball tennis, wimming or tack and field, the Spring semester is sure to be filled with intrigue. 

Men’s basketball aims return to NCAA Tournament

In 2010 the Aggies earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

After an injury plagued 2011 campaign, NMSU looks to return to the big dance in 2012. However the Aggies are not the only WAC squad with NCAA Tournament aspirations.

Nevada has gotten off to an impressive start this season and is currently on an 11-game win streak.

After years of residing towards the bottom of the standings, Hawai’i has emerged as a conference contender. The Warriors started their turnaround last season and currently sit in third place in the WAC standings.

Then of course there is Utah State, the defending conference champion. The blue Aggies are not the team they have been the past couple of seasons, but they still cannot be counted it by any means. NMSU defeated Utah State by 20 on Jan. 12 in Las Cruces.

After a solid non-conference season, NMSU will attempt to take care of business in WAC play and return to the NCAA Tournament.

Women’s basketball looks to finish new era on high note

The first year of the Mark Trakh has seen its share of challenges. Seven of the Aggies’ 17 games this season have been decided by four points or less.

The team is 2-3 in one-point games and 2-5 in games decided by four points or less. With a full slate of conference games still on the schedule, the Aggies hope to improve on closing out games and winning close contests.

The Aggies are 4-13 overall and 1-1 in WAC play. NMSU defeated Idaho 61-47 on Jan. 14, earning its first conference win of the season.

Seniors Tabytha Wampler and Kaitlyn Soto have each had strong seasons for the Aggies. Wampler has seven double-doubles this season, while Soto leads the team in assists and minutes played.

Softball sets out to defend WAC title

After a milestone 2011 in which the Aggies tallied a school-record 44 wins en route to winning the program’s first WAC championship, NMSU softball returns with high expectations in 2012.

The team has a challenging non-conference schedule this year. The Aggies have 19 games against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2011, including defending national champion Arizona State.

The good news for NMSU is the team returns 13 players from last year’s history-making season, including All-WAC honorees Tiare Jennings, Alex Newman, Teresa Conrad and Valerie Swedberg.

The Aggies begin the 2012 campaign by hosting the four-day Hotel Encanto Invitational in Las Cruces beginning Feb. 10.

Aggie baseball looks for strong finish

The NMSU baseball team had a strong non-conference run last season, but finished WAC play with a record of 9-15. The team finished 34-24 overall and lost to Louisiana Tech and Nevada in the conference tournament.

The Aggies start the 2012 season on Feb. 17 when the team plays the first of a four-game series against Wake Forrest at Presley Askew Field. Among the players returning from last season is shortstop Ty Forney, who was named second team All-WAC in 2011

The real contest for NMSU may come when WAC play rolls around. The Aggies open up conference play at home against Nevada on Apr. 5.

Swimming and diving in WAC Championships

The Aggie swimming and diving teams travel to San Antonio next month for the WAC Championships.

The teams have two meets before the championships. The Aggies host Idaho on Jan. 21 and travel to Albuquerque to face New Mexico on Feb 4. Then it is off to the Lone Star State where the teams compete in the WAC Championships starting on Feb. 22.

Among the swimmers making headlines this season is freshman Jessica Legge, who was named WAC Swimmer of the Week for the week of Jan. 3-10. Legge had strong performances in a five-team meet in Tucson, Ariz., which included squads from the University of Arizona, Oregon State, Northern Arizona, Idaho and Iowa.

Aggies top Idaho, improve to 3-0 in WAC play

By: Anthony Esparza 

Hernst Laroche of New Mexico State shoots over Landon Tatum of Idaho on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. Laroche scored a season-high 20 points en route to an 80-68 Aggies win. Zack Ponce

The New Mexico State men’s basketball team remained unbeaten in conference play by taking down Idaho 80-68 Saturday at the Pam American Center.

Seniors Wendell McKines and Hernst Laroche led the way for the Aggies. McKines finished with 23 points and ten rebounds, racking up his eleventh double-double of the season. After being held to five points in the first half, Laroche scored 15 points in the second half to finish with a season-high 20 points.

“I just tried to pace myself, find my spot and see how they play me,” Laroche said of his adjustments in the second half. “I hit some big shots, so that was good.”

After turning the ball over just six times against Utah State on Thursday, the Aggies finished with 18 turnovers against Idaho on Saturday night. However, NMSU coach Marvin Menzies said the final score is the most important statistic in conference play.

“In the WAC it’s about winning and losing and tonight we got the ‘W’,” Menzies said. It wasn’t as pretty as we would have liked, but at the end of the day it’s about winning and we did that tonight."

The Aggies led for the majority of the second half, but efficient shooting kept the Vandals within striking distance. Idaho shot 44% on the night, connecting on seven three-pointers.

NMSU was able to contain Deremy Geiger and Stephen Madison, Idaho’s leading scorers, throughout the contest. The duo shot a combined 7-24 and scored a total of 20 points. 

Stephen Madison of Idaho drives to the basket against New Mexico State on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. Idaho’s second leading scorer was shut down by NMSU; he scored just nine points on 4-13 FG and 1-8 3-Ptr. Zack Ponce

“They were in the scouting report. Those were guys that we had to key in on,” Menzies said of Geiger and Madison. “We had some of their tendencies down, but they lost their legs a little bit in the latter part of the second half.”

NMSU improved to 13-5 overall and 3-0 in WAC play. Idaho fell to 9-9 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

 The Aggies will now go on the road to face San Jose State and Hawai’i before returning home for a showdown against Nevada.

“This is a big road trip,” junior forward Tyrone Watson said of the upcoming road trip. “Last year we went to San Jose State and we coughed the game up and we also coughed the game up in Hawai’i too. We definitely know what we have ahead of us.” 

Let the WAC race begin

By: Anthony Esparza

It seems like it is going to be a four-team race in the Western Athletic Conference in 2012.

The three usual suspects –Utah State, New Mexico State and Nevada—will all once again be in the hunt.

Utah State breezed through the conference last season, finishing 15-1 in league play en route to winning the WAC Tournament. The Aggies finished the year at 30-3 after falling to Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

This season Utah State finished non-conference play with a record of 8-6. The team’s signature win thus far is a 69-62 victory over Brigham Young in the first game of the season.

Sophomore guard Preston Medlin leads the team in the scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. Forward Brady Jardine and guard Brokeith Pane are two of the three seniors on the roster this season.

Jardine is the team leader in rebounds per game, pulling down 7.7 boards per contest. Pane, who was named first team All-WAC in the coaches’ preseason poll, is averaging 11.1 points and 3.5 assists per game this year.

After an inconsistent start to the season, the team enters its conference opener against Fresno State having won four of its last five games. The Aggies were edged on the road at No.15 Mississippi State on New Year’s Eve.

After finishing last year with a disappointing record of 13-19, the Nevada is back on track this season.

The Wolf Pack have a solid backcourt, led by Deonte Burton and Malik Story. Burton was named WAC Preseason Player of the Year in the coaches' preseason poll, and is averaging 14 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

The team’s most impressive win in non-conference play came on Dec. 2, when the Wolf Pack took down Washington 76-73 in overtime. Nevada enters conference play on a seven-game win streak and has won eight of their last ten games.

New Mexico State finished 16-17 last year in a season plagued by injuries. This year the Aggies finished non-conference play at 10-5, the team’s best record heading into league play since head coach Marvin Menzies was hired in 2007.

After redshirting the 2010-11 season because of a broken foot, senior forward Wendell McKines has been the anchor of the team to this point. McKines is averaging 17.9 points and 10.5 rebounds and has recorded eight double-doubles on the year.

As a team the Aggies rank 19^th in the nation in rebounds per game, averaging 40 per contest.

Freshman guard Daniel Mullings was a sparkplug off the bench on both sides of the court for the Aggies in the first part of the season. Mullings now takes on a starting role, since starting guard Christian Kabongo transferred from NMSU.

The Aggies’ highlight win to this point is a nine-point win over New Mexico in Albuquerque on Nov. 16. It was the team’s first win at The Pit since 2002.

Utah State, Nevada and NMSU have finished at the top of the WAC standings in five of the last six seasons. However, this season Hawai’i has emerged as a new contender for the conference crown.

The Warriors have improved since Gib Arnold was named head coach in 2010. Hawai’i went 19-12 in Arnold’s first season at the helm, a steep improvement from the team’s 10-20 record the previous season.

Hawai’i is off to an 8-6 start this year. The Warriors are led by senior guard Zane Johnson and junior center Vander Joaquim.

Johnson is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.9 points per game. Joaquim leads the Warriors in rebounding with 9.4 per game. Both players were named first-team All-WAC in the coaches’ preseason poll. 

The Warriors standout win in preconference play was an 84-82 overtime win against No. 15 Xavier on Christmas Eve. The team has won four of its last five games heading into the conference opener against San Jose State on Jan. 8.

The WAC race begins Thursday with two games on the schedule. Fresno State travels to Logan to face the Utah State, and Nevada heads to Idaho to take on the Vandals.