Say what you will about the off court stuff, it's realistic that without Wendell McKines, the Aggies would be a very average or below average team. We saw it in the first half when Wendell had three fouls. Then with McKines back in the game, the Aggies open the second half on a 17-2 run. He sits for a couple minutes, Hawaii steals the lead back briefly and after Gibson puts them up one, McKines converts a three-point play when he returns.
The Aggies press was also the difference. They shot 44.4 percent in the second half after a 31 percent first half. When the shots were falling and NMSU was able to set up its press, the Warriors turned the ball over eight times in the second half and 17 for the game.
I thought the San Jose State game would be an easy win. Not so. Adrian Oliver now has two of the top three scoring performances of the WAC season with 39 points in a win over La. Tech.
San Jose State 87, Louisiana Tech 76
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)-- Adrian Oliver scored a career-high 39 points,
lifting San Jose State to an 87-76 victory over Louisiana Tech on Thursday
night.
The Spartans (10-8, 3-3) snapped the Bulldogs' 10-game winning streak and
handed them their first WAC loss of the season.
Chris Oakes had 16 points for the Spartans while Robert Owens scored 12.
Kyle Gibson led Louisiana Tech (17-3, 5-1) with 22 points, only two of those
coming in the first half when he got into early foul trouble. Olu Ashaolu
added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Oliver was one point short of the San Jose State single-game scoring record
of 40 set by Wally Rank on Jan. 3, 1980 against Sacramento State. Oliver's
39 points surpassed his previous career high of 37, set last February
against Boise State.
5 comments:
Once again the thing that stood out to me about this game was the fact that we got no production from our bench. I dont think that there should be a need for a team like ours to be in such close games against a team like Hawaii. Granted we will have bad nights but overall our talent and depth should be enough. We got zero points from our bench tonight and once more with limited minutes I thought. The only one that played any minutes was the "great" Gordo who once more proved how unreliable he is by not making a shot.Menzies said that he would use the bench more but so far that hasnt been the case. The five starters have been winning games pretty much on their won recently but I feel like we would have played better earlier and be a stronger team now if we had a better bench. That wont happen until Menzies starts playing them.
I think it was a great win last night for a gutsy Aggie team. They came out flat and were getting killed in all aspects of the game in the first half but the coaches made some great adjustments at half time and the players responded. As I recall, they won without making any 3 point shots in the second half and it sounded like they were looking for better shots. The press was the difference. This team has grown up considerably and is fun to watch. This is not the team that started the season and the main addition is WM. It seems he makes everybody better and they are more comfortable in their roles. My biggest concern is no bench scoring. That is a problem that will hurt us down the line if it continues.
I think the fans are frustrated with the off court nonsense. That's all. They like McKines and respect his basketball prowess. But in his case, wasn't the fine he was arrested for was for something he'd done last year? So, you take the transgression from last year, add to it his inability to do what he needed to do as a student so he sits out when his team really needed him, then you pile on him not paying the fine and gets popped for it this year...it's enough to drive a fan nuts.
Now, we don't know if the players had anything to do with any vandalism of a traffic control sign. So you might as well just throw that out as its a nothing issue. We do know that one of our all-WAC players had an issue with a pizza delivery person a couple years ago, another not so long ago with a girlfriend plus a problem in Corbett Center, and, of course, McKines' very public baggage.
It just seems like some, SOME, of these guys don't learn, not from their actions and not from the actions of their team mates. They get their names and faces in the news for all the wrong reasons. It reflects on them, their team and the school. These young men wear Aggie colors; it's a privilege. They are representatives of the university.
The people in Las Cruces that are the most obsessed with Wen's personal problems are you whining bloggers---get over it. I am surprised you aren't also blaming George Bush. Enjoy what we have---if you can't bring yourself to do that, find something that you can enjoy.
Without WM this Aggie Team would be 8-12 and headed for the bottom half of the WAC. At the current rate we are headed for the Middle and a 2nd round exit form the WAC Tourney,
I just hope WM gets his life off the court equal to what it is on the court, and that we are looking for a new head coach.
Go Aggies,,,,,,
dm
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