Utah State University men's basketball coach Craig Smith said it's something he speaks to his team about on a constant basis, but it's not what you may be thinking. "Next best action," Smith said. When things are not going right for the Aggies, he said his players are urged to think "NBA" and try to find a way to reverse the trend.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Lobo men's basketball played a first half that may have been the worst of the season before a sophomore transfer decided enough was enough and willed his team to victory to advance in the 2019 Mountain West Basketball Championship. Former UCONN product Vance Jackson was wide open for a corner 3 and called for the ball early in the second half. His teammate didn't see him though and instead the Lobos threw up a contested shot that was off the mark.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Once again, it was shooting that doomed the New Mexico Lobos against San Diego State. In the Lobos first game of the Mountain West Tournament, they fell to the seventh-seeded Aztecs, 70-61 in overtime. UNM only shot 10 percent from 3-point range, going 3-for-29 from deep, compared to 45 percent from beyond the arc for SDSU. "I thought out of 29 shots from the three, I'm going to say 25 were horse shots," head coach Mike Bradbury said. You've got to make more than three of those. You just can't win like that."
With anticipation for the first match in New Mexico United’s brief history reaching a fever pitch, the club is set to announce several more player signings before the first whistle blows on March 9. However, the core of the group has coalesced over the last eight months, and the inaugural roster has largely been set. With an average age of 25, the club’s players fall just under the average age of 25.3 of players in the USL Championship as a whole, according to soccer statistics website Transfermarkt. 6 players have logged MLS minutes (David Estrada, Devon Sandoval, Sam Hamilton, Chris Wehan, Ethen Sampson, Justin Schmidt), while all but a few have prior USL experience.
Jaisa Nunn wanted to show out one final time in front of the Pit crowd, and she did just that on her Senior Night. "It was very emotional for me at first because it's Senior Night," Nunn said. "I knew I had to show out and I had to do if for the fans especially and I was glad that I got the results that I did. I played hard, and so did the team." Nunn finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks to lead the Lobos to a 57-50 victory over the Wyoming Cowgirls that secured the two seed at next week's Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas. UNM will play the winner of a matchup between San Diego State and Air Force. On the night, Nunn also became the seventh Lobo ever to record 1500 points.
The University of New Mexico Women's Basketball team will not be Mountain West regular season champions. The Lobos suffered a 70-66 loss to the Boise State Broncos on Monday night at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, as the hosts secured their first ever outright conference championship. UNM struggled offensively for the majority of the game, including turning the ball over 16 times before the half and 26 times in total, which lead to 28 points for the Broncos. Boise, who had 14 turnovers before the half, only turned the ball over four more times in the second half, from which the Lobos only generated 12 points. “We were uncharacteristically loose with the ball, and Boise State took advantage of it," head coach Mike Bradbury told the Albuquerque Journal. "I think both teams were trying to do too much in the first half, but (the Broncos) settled down a little quicker than we did. We won every statistical category except turnovers and those were the difference.”
Senior night. Words that, when paired together, can elicit a wide array of emotions — from a feeling of nostalgia to a burning desire to put a punctuation mark on one's time at college. And University of New Mexico men's basketball senior guard Dane Kuiper was able to put a stamp on his final regular home game, sending he and fellow senior teammate Anthony Mathis off with a 73-72 victory over the visiting Boise State Broncos.
The University of New Mexico Women's Basketball Team (23-5, 13-4 MW) wraps up the season on Thursday at Dreamstyle Arena - The Pit against the Wyoming Cowgirls (20-6, 13-4 MW) at 7 p.m.. The game will feature Senior Night festivities honoring Jaisa Nunn, Nike McClure, Emily Lines and Erica Moore prior to the game. The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network hosted by Stadium and heard on the radio at 610 AM. The two teams are tied for second place in the conference heading into the game, with the winner securing that second slot and the loser dropping to third heading into the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas. Both teams are guaranteed a first round bye, bypassing Sunday's contests. The team that secures the two seed will play the winner of the game between the seven and 10 seeded teams, while the three seed will take on the winner of the game between seeds six and 11.
The University of New Mexico baseball team had rattled off six straight wins, including a couple of improbable come-from-behind ones against Arizona and San Jose State, but it came to an end on Sunday afternoon at Santa Ana Star Field. New Mexico ( 8-4, 2-1 MW) took the first two games in its conference home series, dispatching of San Jose State by a 14-2 count on Friday and stunning the Spartans thanks to a two-run throwing error in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 7-6 victory on Saturday.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team has known for a while that its only path to the NCAA Tournament is to win the Mountain West Championship later in the month. But that doesn't mean the final three regular season games aren't still important — and the Lobos treated Saturday's bout against Colorado State as such, winning 77-65 to improve to 6-10 in conference play and 12-16 overall. The win puts UNM in a tie with Boise State for 9th in the conference and keeps alive the possibility of climbing higher in the seeding prior to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.
Lobo baseball was down to its final out in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday. New Mexico trailed San Jose State by one run, but was threatening within runners on the corners. A base hit would have tied the game, but that's not what happened in the game's final at-bat. Tyler Kelly put the ball in play — a slow dribbler toward third base — and while it wasn't an easy put out, it looked as though Spartan third baseman Troy Viola would scoop it up and make the throw to first to end the game.
The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team went to Fort Collins on Saturday and took care of business in a wire-to-wire victory over the last-place Colorado State Rams with a 79-56 victory to set up a showdown with Boise State on Monday that will effectively decide the Mountain West regular season champion. “We kept our focus where it was supposed to be and played hard for 40 minutes,” head coach Mike Bradbury told the Albuquerque Journal. “You always worry a little about letting down but our players did a good job. Our defense forced 15 turnovers and we ended up with 10 more shots than CSU. I’m happy with that.”
The University of New Mexico baseball team continued to improve on its record and run its current winning streak to five games by taking down the San Jose State Spartans Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field. New Mexico (7-3, 1-0 MW) won the conference opener and first matchup in a three-game series by a score of 14-2. But the Lobos gaudy run total probably didn’t come the way most might expect. UNM enjoyed an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second after junior catcher Reese O’Farrell drove in teammates Tyler Kelly and Connor Mang with a two-run single.
The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team (22-4, 12-3 Mountain West) travels north on Saturday to take on Colorado State University (8-18, 2-13 MW) at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado at 2 p.m. The Lobos got the better of the Rams when the two teams met in Albuquerque in January, 70-58. The Rams are currently in the midst of a six-game losing streak, but took league's top team, Boise State, to overtime before falling in their match up on Wednesday.
Staying after practice every day to shoot threes as Jaedyn De La Cerda does was bound to pay off for her eventually, and on Wednesday night against San Jose State, it did. The Roswell native set a record for the most points off the bench, finishing with 31 to go along with seven rebounds, tying a career high, and three assists in a 110-72 victory over the Spartans. “She’s put the work in, she’s put the time in, and when you do that generally, at some point it will pay off,” head coach Mike Bradbury said. “When you get your opportunity, she was ready for that. It’s well deserved.”
Former New Mexico running back Romell Jordan has died unexpectedly. He was 23-years old. Jordan’s death was first announced in a statement from the Boston Red Sox, where his brother Blake Swihart plays catcher. Jordan played three years with the Lobos, rushing for 551 yards to go along with 85 receiving yards. He dealt with injuries for most of his time as a Lobo, including losing the entire 2016 season to a torn ACL he suffered in spring practice. He also dealt with the passing of his mother the following September.
Esports have enjoyed a large bump in popularity in the last five to ten years. Tournaments have emerged from basements into convention centers and arenas. The purse for victorious teams has increased exponentially. From League of Legends to NBA 2K, the rise has been precipitous. The University of New Mexico even added their own Esports club in Sept. of 2018.
Stereotypes surrounding cheerleading have a history that dates back decades and are concepts most people grew up hearing. Assumptions like “cheerleaders are dumb” or “cheerleading isn’t a real sport” are common when discussing the topic of cheerleading. But for many, cheerleading is a lot more than its stereotypes. As University of New Mexico cheerleaders, sophomores Amaia Bracamontes and JC Oellien have been confronted by these “standards” that seem to define them as athletes.
After months of anticipation, press releases, social media hype, and some familiar player signings, the New Mexico United soccer club is set to kick off their inaugural season this week at Isotopes Park. Officially unveiled as an expansion club on June 7, 2018, New Mexico United will play in the United Soccer League Championship league (USL), which occupies the second tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid under Major League Soccer (MLS). As part of a rapidly expanding soccer landscape in the U.S., United will join 35 other teams in the league in pursuit of domestic silverware, including the USL Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. While other pro or semi-pro soccer clubs in New Mexico have come and gone (New Mexico Chiles, Albuquerque Geckos), United appears set to stick around. In years past, scores of clubs around the country have folded due to lack of fan support, an inability to pay their players and league restructuring. The USL, meanwhile, has gained a firmer financial footing in the U.S. market through a closer relationship with MLS, promotion to Division II status by the U.S. soccer board of directors and a broadcast partnership with ESPN.
It’s a Thursday afternoon practice and the cool, dryness of the Albuquerque air has a piercing touch. Coaches, players and staffers are all wearing long sleeves, jackets, or are layered in clothes to keep from the cold. Standing near home plate, watching his teammates take batting practice, is Jared Mang — the 5’9 senior outfielder out of Los Alamos, New Mexico. He is wearing a red long sleeve emblazoned with a Lobo and a baseball diamond around it. To keep from the cold, he also has on a skull cap, though it's noticeably wrapped around his neck — to keep warm — with his helmet atop his head.
Solutions by The State News
