Watson sinks Bakersfield

New Mexico State erased a three-point deficit with 2:32 remaining on Monday to defeat California-Bakersfield 73-72 on two Tyrone Watson free throws with 0.9 seconds left to play.

Trailing by one with 2.4 seconds left, Watson grabbed a rebound off a missed Issiah Grayson free throw, turned and was fouled by Donald Johnson.

“When he was at the line, I was just  hoping that he would miss so we could at least push the ball, but (Grayson) missed and (Johnson) hit me across the face,” Watson said. “Basically at the free throw line, I was just trying to keep my composure and not the adrenaline and the crowd get to me. The first one was scary because it hit the back rim and got a great bounce. The second one hit front rim and bounced in.”

NMSU improved to 10-5, matching the school's most non-conference wins entering Western Athletic Conference play. 
It’s only fitting the game was decided at the foul line. NMSU was 35-for-44 (79.5 percent) from the foul line. It made up for a 7-for-22 effort from the floor in the second half.
One of those field goals was a Bandja Sy 3-pointer that put the Aggies up 71-69 with 1:11 to play. But Grayson hit a jumper with 11 seconds left to tie the game. NMSU senior forward Wendell McKines turned the ball over with five seconds left and then fouled Grayson, who made his first free throw.

Freshman guard Daniel Mullings had a breakout game on Monday, scoring a career-high 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting with five rebounds, three steals and a block to lead New Mexico State to lead the Aggies to their 10th win of the season entering Western Athletic Conference play this weekend at Louisiana Tech. McKines had 12 points and seven rebounds and Sy and Watson each scored nine points.

NMSU shot 57.9 percent from the floor and 14-for-18 from the foul line in the first half, but the game was tied at 36-36 at halftime after 10 NMSU turnovers helped Bakersfield shoot 17 more shots.

With McKines and Laroche picking up two fouls each in the first half, the NMSU bench scored 10 first-half points. Freshman walk-on DJ Lewis made his first appearance as an Aggie, scoring a lay up to give NMSU a 28-27 lead with 2:48 left in the first half.

Bakersfield nailed 4-of-11 3s in the first half, opening the game with three consecutive triples. The Roadrunners scored eight straight points to lead 17-6.

Mullings scored 11 of the Aggies’ first 15 points for and had 13 first-half points. Mullings outscored Bakersfield 9-0 to pull the Aggies to within 17-15. 
The game was significant in that key players battled foul trouble and with only nine players dressed, the Aggies still found a way to win.

"It's a momentum boost because we lost two guys and that puts more pressure on everyone," Watson said. "I think we have done a good job coping with it."

Why Khem Birch could pick the Aggies

Pitt transfer Khem Birch has apparently received his release to a handful of schools including New Mexico State. Birch is scheduled to visit NMSU on Wednesday and Thursday and UNLV on Friday.  

Birch will be coming to Las Cruces after a visit to Florida. Obviously NMSU is up against some heavy hitters but the Aggies obviously have just a strong as chance of landing the former McDonalds All American. Number one is Ags assistant Paul Weir. Weir has a long standing relationship with Birch dating back to when he was recruiting NMSU senior point guard Hernst Laroche. Laroche and Birch played in the same AAU program with Brookwood Elite for a period of time. Birch is apparently also friends with 7-5 redshirt Sim Bhullar.

Birch would likely play right now at NMSU if he were here. He would certainly log major minutes at both post positions once he becomes eligible in the second semester as Bhullar, BJ West and Chili Nephawe and potentially Renaldo Dixon are slated as the options at the four and five next year. 

Moving forward

There was certainly plenty of speculation after NMSU sophomores Renaldo Dixon and Christian Kabongo weren't part of Saturday's 81-65 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The school's official stance at this point is this:


“It was a personal coach’s decision,” Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said during his post game radio interview. “We’re going to assess it going forward and that’s where we were tonight.”


I think it leaves it open to speculation at that point. There is a sense that the team will be better off without Kabongo. I tend to agree, at least from an offensive standpoint and chemistry wise. I also think the Aggies have players capable of stepping up. The Aggies had 13 assists on 26 makes on Saturday and played primarily through McKines, who was open early and often at the high post against a zone and left to make a pass to either wing, dump it down low or make a move on his own. I asked McKines in an earlier conversation if the team was working on things to get him the ball in spots on the floor where he wanted it. 


After telling me that it's a better question for the head coach, McKines said, "I've noticed some plays where I can be successful but everything is still within the system. Whenever coach feels the need to call a particular set or play, he is going to do it. He's been doing a great job so far. It's our best preseason record we've had since I've been here. We are just looking to improve on everything."


Two things CK does well were defend and get to the foul line, where he is the best shooter at 82 percent. He is good at getting to the paint, but he has a team high 46 turnovers on the year. He is a big part of the offense in terms of touching the ball 28 percent of the plays while he's on the floor. McKines is second at 27 percent and Hamidu Rahman is third at 20 percent. 


I think a key player here moving forward regardless of Kabongo is Hernst Laroche. Laroche is involved in 17 percent of the team's play when he's on the court and he's on the court a lot. Laroche showed flashes of what he's capable of on Saturday. Laroche had 15 points, 7 rebounds and fours assists with one turnover. He was 5-8 from the floor and seemed more aggressive getting to the basket.


"I'm a senior and it's my last year," Laroche said. "I know how it feels. I just take it a game at a time."


Daniel Mullings backed up Laroche at the point although Laroche played 35 minutes. Mullings was 3-10 but he hit both of his 3s for the Aggies, who were 7-16 from long range after 1-14 against UNM. Mullings had 11 points, one asst, three turnovers, two blocks and a steal. 


"He did a good job," Laroche said. "He ran the team and got us into our offense. I think he is learning the position so that's good."

Aggies commentary

My column following NMSU's 89-69 loss to UNM. Yes, 89-69 is my final answer. The unofficial stats and the Pan Am scoreboard said 89-69. The official stats said 89-67. NMSU later changed the score back to 89-69. The official stats took away a field goal from Aggies guard Christian Kabongo. Kabongo was officially 3-for-15 for eight points.

Is this Aggies team the 4-0 club that started the season or the team that has gone 4-5 since?

New Mexico State basketball fans showed up in droves to see for themselves on Wednesday night. They left shaking their heads, badgering their own players from the stands and questioning the head coach.

Was Wednesday’s 89-69 home loss to New Mexico an aberration or the product of an off night? It’s starting to appear as if the Aggies’ 4-0 start is the aberration.

“Every season is a journey,” New Mexico State senior Wendell McKines said. “We are just in a little bump in the road right now. We are looking forward to playing our best basketball in March and we still have a ways to go. We will be fine.”

Of course, McKines is right.

It is a long season and there is plenty of time for the Aggies to revert back to the defensive-oriented team that beat the Lobos at the Pit and nearly beat Arizona at home.

It needs to happen soon.

The Aggies open Western Athletic Conference on Jan. 7, 2012 at Louisiana Tech, home against Utah State (Jan. 12) and Idaho (Jan. 14) and at San Jose State (Jan. 19) and at Hawaii on Jan. 21.

At first, I thought the Aggies could open WAC play 4-1 at worst with a possible loss at Hawaii.

After what I saw on Wednesday and in a Dec. 11 loss at UTEP, I’m not so sure.

UTEP bolted out to an early lead in a 73-69 victory in El Paso.

UNM did the same, leading virtually wire-to-wire and ending the game early with superior ball movement, defense, and a deft shooting touch that the Aggies are not capable of at this point.

The Lobos could have won by 40. Making 12 3-pointers certainly helped their cause, but the Lobos ran circles around the Aggies with simple pick-and-roll basketball that led to wide open looks from all over the court.

It was stark contrast to the Aggies’ pressure on and off the ball in their 62-53 victory in Albuquerque that seems like a lifetime ago now.

“The defense of the ball screen wasn’t bad, it was the rotations off the ball, which we went over, and over, and over,” Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies said. “Yet we still did not execute it very well.”

NMSU had 17 assists in Albuquerque. The Aggies’ had eight on 22 makes on Wednesday.

“We were bad on both sides of the ball and when you play like that against a good team, you don’t have a chance,” Menzies said. “Against a very good team, you have to bring your ‘A’ game and we brought our ‘C’ game.”

With a shortened WAC schedule this year after Boise State’s departure, NMSU simply can’t afford to let games get away from them either early or in the final result.

The Aggies have historically lost a conference road game they shouldn’t somewhere along the line. With Nevada, Utah State and Hawaii playing well, sweeping all three also seems unlikely.

NMSU can still achieve its goals come WAC time.

But if the last two games against legitimate competition are any indication, don’t book your NCAA Tournament tickets just yet.

Jason Groves can be reached at (575) 541-5459. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

UNM thoughts and postgame comments

It seems like I've seen this over and over the past four plus years. The Aggies have a big game at home. A game that seems like they can win, and they blow it. It's not even always the Lobos. The fact is that with a shortened WAC schedule, NMSU can't afford to not show up on a night and explain it away by saying that more important things are ahead. One bad loss in conference play and the top seed is gone. Drop two games to teams they should probably beat and they could easily be looking at a No. 4 seed.

UNM could have won by 40. And they are right, conference play matters most. But NMSU fans will not be happy after Wednesday's result and I think they have more right than ever. They actually showed up, filled the Pan Am to near its current capacity and had nothing to cheer for for most of the game as UNM took the lead for good less than eight minutes in.

NMSU fell to 2-2 against rivals on the season. Normally a respectable result. But after the way they lost on Wednesday, 89-67, it's hard to take anything positive from this game. The last two games where the Aggies played a decent team, they were taken out of the game immediately. On Wednesday, we saw what happens if NMSU can't battle back or play the in-your-face defense they did early on. Against UTEP, I thought it was the players. NMSU's lack of improvement from the first game vs. the Lobos until now was evident on Wednesday and that has to be on the head coach. You have to figure UNM would shoot the ball better and I figured they would make some shots, but 12 3s was remarkable.

3-point makes were probably the difference and Wendell McKines and Hamidu Rahman were very good. UNM's guards outscored NMSU guards 53-20. ... UNM had 19 assists on 30 makes, NMSU had 8 assists on 22 makes. ... Everything else was even, except the 3s. The game proved that NMSU, although they have been good in the second half, is not a good come from behind team. They just aren't built that way this year. 1-14 from 3s and 8-31 from the field in the first half are difficult for this group to recover from. It can get bad in a hurry and it got away from them on Wednesday.

Steve Alford
"This was a barometer game for us. I'm really proud of my team. We have gone 6-1 away from home. You do that in non conference and you have done good things. Our team has gotten better. It's something we are proud of. ... Our ceiling has been big because we had not shot it particularly well. Offensively we are just now starting to get into rhythm. We had 19 assists on 30 goals so we are sharing the ball. We are competing hard but now we are starting to make some 3-point shots. ... We have really guarded, and I think that was the thing tonight."

On ball screens (I've written here that the NMSU centers don't do a good job against ball screens and the Lobos went at them a lot. It put pressure on the rest of the defense.  It led to wide open shots, which the Lobos knocked down.)
"That's always been a big part of what we do. Sometimes we have been big-big. Now we are more of a pick and roll team and the guys have gotten more familiar with that and that part of our offense has really improved since the first time we played."

On the Aggies
"This is a very good team and they aren't going to lose a lot of games at home. I think Arizona was the only other team to beat them in here. For us to lead almost start to finish says a lot about where our team has come from."

Going inside
"In the first game, we didn't finish anything inside. In this game, we really finished well. When Drew plays the way he did tonight, we are a much better basketball team. The other guys fed off that."

Shooting
"From the first time we played, our drive and kick game has got better. I didn't like our spacing in the first game. the guys have really worked hard at finding daylight. That's easier for the guy that is driving to see. I think that part of our offense has really gotten better and now we are taking open 3s instead of tough 3s. Now we are getting really good looks."

Wendell McKines
On the Lobos
"They attacked us. They had much more energy than last time and a lot more urgency and they shot the ball. Wow. That's the best 3-point shooting I've seen in the Pan Am since I've been here."

State of the Aggies after loss
"At the end of the day, this is what we do. We are not going to lose our confidence. If we lose our confidence, we may as well not suit up. Every season is a journey. We are just in a little bump in the road right now. We are looking forward to playing our best basketball in March and we still have a ways to go. We will be fine."

On the Lobos shooting
"Just have to think about the next play. You can't let it get you down. If that's in your head, them making three points is not only three points, but it's your points the next play down. You have to keep playing. You just have to give them credit for making their shots and try to defend the 3-pointer better."

On the Lobos and Aggies since the first meeting
"They seemed a lot more crisp. They seemed like they are playing more within themselves. It seemed like everybody knows their roles on the team. They looked like what they were predicted to be at the top of the Mountain West. You have to give them all the credit. ... They shot the 3-point ball very well in the first half and it dug us in a hole that was very tough to get out of. Hats off to New Mexico. As far as us, we have to go back to the drawing board and get back to what we do. We can't let this get us down. On to the next one. This is a long season. We can't let one loss dictate the rest of the season."

Marvin Menzies
"I'm glad the rivalry games are over. That's for sure. The Lobos shot the lights out tonight. It was one of those things where we had no answer for the 3 ball. We go 1 for 14, they go 12 for 24 and thats pretty much the story of the game. There are things that we did well and things they did well but at the end of the day, that was the point differential that was the story of the game. 21 points is far too much to climb when you have that type of a team."

"At the end of the day, we beat them there, they clobbered us here. It's frustrating to have such a good crowd and not being able to perform better is what is probably the most frustrating thing. I don't think we will shoot that bad again from the 3 point line but it came at a very inopportune time."

"If you can shoot the 3 ball, then coming back is always a possibility. When we shoot it like we did tonight, it's not a possibility. We had guys air balling 3s tonight.  That's just a matter of getting in the gym, getting more reps. Having a higher level of concentration. Not being frustrated when things don't go our way."

On defending ball screens
"The defense of the ball screen wasn't bad, it was the rotations off the ball, which we went over, and over, and over. Yet we still did not execute it very well. That one was baffling. I have to look at the film on that."

"Players have to play. I feel like we knew who we were facing. They have improved and we haven't improved as much as they have. They shot the ball much better than we did.
we didn't play very well offensively down there but I thought we took them out of some things and I thought we did some things well defensively to help us get over the top but unfortunatly, we didn't do either tonight. We were bad on both sides of the ball and when you play like that against a good team, you don't have a chance. ... Against a very good team, you have to bring your A game and we brought our C game."

UNM game thread/prediction

Hopefully you can post your pregame predictions and thoughts and postgame reaction here.

First of all, I picked NMSU to enter WAC play at 12-3 so a win over the Lobos is big for me as well as the Aggies as they have likely wins vs. Pine Bluff and at Bakersfield to go to 11-4 with wins in all three.

However, I, nor most people I'm willing to bet, had NMSU beating the Lobos at The Pit, making a sweep of the Lobos seem possible.

I'm going with the Aggies to win a 69-63 game on Wednesday at the Pan Am.

I'm sure the Lobos have improved since they lost to the Aggies in the second game of the season. The Aggies have shown signs of improving the past three games despite playing inferior competition. But who have the Lobos played? People are concerned about NMSU, but their three game losing streak came to Southern MIss (10-2 and No. 3 RPI), Arizona (10-4, 53 RPI) and UTEP, a team that I thought was originally a bad loss but since has beaten Clemson and Auburn (two bottom teams in great leagues) while hanging with Kansas State in Hawaii over the weekend. Simply stated, NMSU is the best team the Lobos have played and they lost to them.......at The Pit.

I know that it's not likely that NMSU will hold UNM to 28 percent shooting again. But I also know that Wendell McKines,, Hernst Laroche and Christian Kabongo won't be held to 0-for-14 from the field again like they did in the first half in Albuquerque. McKines was getting easy looks too and could have had 30. He finished with 14 and 9.

I think that assists are a big stat for the Aggies against the Lobos. NMSU had 17 assists in the first two games. Wendell McKines found Bandja Sy cutting along the baseline vs. the Lobos zone from the high post, the ball was moving and NMSU was getting good shots.

In addition to the story lines I wrote about in my last blog entry, I think Hamidu Rahman and the Aggies bench have to be productive because position for position, I think the two teams are extremely even. Yet Rahman had a good game against Arizona  against and undersized center (13 and 8 6-12 shooting) and he also seemed engaged in the Aggies recent games against smaller players who aren't skilled. Bandja Sy has scored 21 points in the last two games and will have to check senior Phillip McDonald on the other end — Remember his block of McDonald and three-point play to ice the game in Albuquerque.

Two things stick out to me from the first game. It was ugly. I described it as a street fight. That's how the Aggies want it and playing at home, they should be able to dictate more of their style. The second thing was the possessions the Lobos had the ball in crucial situations, nobody wanted to shoot. Nobody wanted that big shot. Maybe they have defined their roles or maybe they were just shocked that an Aggies team was capable of playing that kind of defense. But at home. Rested. Confident. I have the Aggies on Wednesday.

Storylines/keys to Lobos game

Prediction coming later this evening

3-1 or 2-2 in rivalry games

Entering every season, earning a split against rivals New Mexico and UTEP is a respectable result. 

This Aggies group seemed different though.

A win at the Pit for the first time in nine years and a blowout win over UTEP at home made a season sweep of the four games seem realistic.

After all, it happened to the Aggies last year.

A recent three-game losing streak — including a 73-69 loss at UTEP — has taken the luster off a 4-0 start to the season.

A win Wednesday would match the four-game win streak the Aggies had to the start the season and doing it at home would restore casual fans’ excitement in the team just in time for conference play, which is truly what matters most to the team’s postseason hopes.

By the time the season ends, UNM could be the best team the Aggies face all year. The Lobos are currently riding an eight-game win streak and stand at 10-2.

The season looked bleak for UTEP early on, but the Miners picked up wins over lower tier teams from the ACC and SEC over the weekend.

The truth is that the Aggies and their fans shouldn’t be disappointed with a split against UTEP and UNM on the year.

But both groups recognized that this year was to be different.

It still can be.

Will the real Aggies please stand up

Wednesday’s game should provide an indication of how good the Aggies are going to be for the rest of the season.

The Aggies are well rested, relatively healthy and playing at home against a good team. They will be up for this game.

The Aggies can’t afford a slow start against the Lobos even if they have been pulling away from teams in the second half. Although the Aggies have won three straight, they haven’t shown the sustained defensive effort for 40 minutes that limited New Mexico to 28 percent shooting (4-for-21 in the second half) in the first meeting.

Is this NMSU team the team that shot 28 percent in the first half or the team that shot 60 percent in the second half and outscored the Lobos 36-22 in the second half to pull out the program’s biggest win since the 2010 Western Athletic Conference Tournament title game?

Williams and Lobos on a roll

UNM has won eight straight and nine of its last 10. 

Sophomore guard Tony Snell is the Lobos best scorer at 13.3 points per game and senior forward Drew Gordon may be their best player. An argument could be made for sophomore point guard Kendall Williams as the team’s most important player.

Williams was 0-for-9 from the field with five turnovers against the Aggies in Albuquerque. He has since had 17 points in a win over Washington State, 19 points in a win over Missouri State and 16 in a win over Oklahoma State.

While the Lobos are among the best teams  on the Aggies’ schedule, the same could also be said for the Lobos. UNM’s  loss to the Aggies is the Lobos’ only game against a team with a Top 100 RPI ranking. By comparison, three of the Aggies’ four losses are to teams in the top 100,  including twice to Southern Mississippi, ranked No. 3.

Board battles

Wednesday’s game features two of the Top 20 individual rebounders in the country. 

Aggies senior Wendell McKines is tied for 18th in the nation with 10.1 rebounds per game and UNM’s Gordon is tied at 13th with 10.5 per game. McKines has set back-to-back career highs this year with 16 and 17 respectively in the Aggies’ last two games. Gordon’s season includes a 20-rebound performance against Oklahoma State.

The Aggies have the edge in team rebounding. NMSU is 17th nationally with 37.2 rebounds per game. They are also 26th in rebounding percentage, meaning the Aggies pull down  57.3 percent of rebounds. UNM is 40th at 56.2 percent. 

The teams were even at 38-38 on the boards in Albuquerque. Rebounding will likely play a bigger factor Wednesday.

Take care and share

The Aggies are at their best when the ball is moving, especially when the Lobos drop back and play zone as they showed at times in the first meeting.

NMSU had 17 assists in the first game and averaged 15.2 assists per game through the first six games. The Aggies have dropped to 10.7 assists per game the past six games and currently average 12.9 assists per game. UNM is 15th nationally with 17.2 assists per game. The Lobos also lead the country in assist to basket ratio, meaning the Lobos have assists on 70.6 percent of their made field goals. By comparison, 52 percent of the Aggies’ made field goals are assisted.

Although turnovers have crept upward for the Aggies recently, both teams do a good job creating turnovers while keeping their turnovers down. NMSU commits 15.4 turnovers per game while forcing 16 per game. The Lobos commit 14.7 turnovers per game and force 16.5.