NMSU women to host Western Michigan today
Three UCLA players remain in China after shoplifting incident
The New Mexico State women’s basketball team, under first-year coach Brooke Atkinson, opens its season today against Western Michigan. The game tips off at 2 p.m. at the Pan Am Center, airs on Altitude 2, FOX College Sports Pacific, FOX Sports Arizona, FOX Sports Southwest and Comcast New Mexico, and streams live on ESPN3.com.
Atkinson, who spent the last three seasons as a Colorado State assistant, returns to Las Cruces, where she was an assisant from 2003-11.
NMSU went 24-6 last year under Mark Trakh, who then left for a second stint as head coach at Southern Cal. The Aggies are preseason favorites to repeat as Western Athletic Conference champions, but they return only two starters — Brooke Salas (13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds per game) and point guard Zaire Williams (6.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.5 assists per game).
Western Michigan (0-1) continues its Land of Enchantment tour after losing 88-76 at New Mexico on Friday night. Forward Breanna Mobley had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Broncos.
NMSU’s first week of action includes a Tuesday home game vs. UT Permian Basin and a Saturday game at New Mexico.
UCLA MEN: The UCLA basketball team headed back to Los Angeles without three players arrested on shoplifting charges in China, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on. The person spoke on condition of anonymity.
Freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were to remain in Hangzhou, China, while the rest of the team was due back Saturday night. No. 21 UCLA won its season-opening game 63-60 over Georgia Tech in Shanghai earlier Saturday.
The trio was questioned by police about allegedly stealing from a Louis Vuitton store next to the team’s hotel in Hangzhou last week.
Citing a source with firsthand knowledge of the investigation, ESPN reports the players could be Hangzhou for “a week or two” while the situation is resolved. The source told ESPN there is surveillance footage of the players shoplifting from three stores.
Bruins coach Steve Alford declined to discuss the matter after the team’s victory.