NMSU finds new home in El Paso
Men’s and women’s teams to play at Eastwood High
The New Mexico State men’s and women’s basketball teams will play their remaining home games this season at Eastwood High School in El Paso, Texas, NMSU announced Monday.
The Aggies reached an agreement to pay Eastwood $5,000 per week.
“We found a tremendous location in Eastwood High School,” New Mexico State athletic director Mario Moccia said. “Our staff who toured their facility were amazed not only by the aesthetics inside the bowl but also the back-of-house infrastructure needed to host NCAA Division I teams.”
No decision has been made in regards to in-person attendance for the Aggies’ remaining slate of home games. Eastwood’s recently renovated venue seats 2,000.
The Aggies are now able to hold practices within the state. But, New Mexico’s amendments to the COVID-19 Policies for Intercollegiate Athletics do not permit collegiate teams to host any games within the state of New Mexico. As a result, Aggie officials toured a number of potential host sites in El Paso last week to find a suitable location to host the NMSU men’s and women’s basketball teams.
As it stands right now, Eastwood will host the Aggie men for a total of four games (Feb. 5-6 and Feb. 19-20) as well as the Aggie women for four games (Feb. 12-13 and Feb. 26-27).
“It’s not every day that you get the chance to host Division I, NCAA tournament-caliber programs in your gym,” Julio Lopez, athletic coordinator at Eastwood, said in a release. “We are ecstatic at the opportunity to host NMSU’s athletic programs in our facility, and we look forward to seeing the Aggies in our gym, making a run at another NCAA tournament.”
Lopez is a former NMSU football player.
Top 25 Women
NO. 4 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 74, NO. 1 LOUISVILLE 60: In Louisville, Ky., Elissa Cunane scored 16 points in her first game in nearly a month because of COVID-19 protocols, and North Carolina State beat the nation’s top-ranked team on its home floor for the second time this season, topping the Cardinals on Monday night.
Jakia Brown-Turner and Jada Boyd also scored 16 points apiece and Raina Perez added 15 for the Wolfpack (12-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who used a stifling defense to hand the Cardinals (161, 9-1) their first loss of the season.
N.C. State beat then-No. 1 South Carolina 54-46 on Dec. 3.
Dana Evans scored 29 points for the Cardinals, but no other Louisville player scored in double figures.
Cunane, the All-American junior center, made 7 of 9 shots and grabbed six rebounds. She had missed the Wolfpack’s previous two games, including a loss to Virginia Tech on Thursday, after N.C. State returned from a three-week pause because of COVID-19.
NO. 22 NORTHWESTERN 69, NO. 11 OHIO STATE 57: In Evanston, Ill., Veronica Burton had 20 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and nine assists to lead Northwestern past Ohio State.
Lindsey Pulliam had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats (10-3, 8-3 Big Ten), who got their first win over a ranked team this season.
Dorka Juhasz scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Buckeyes (10-2, 6-2), who had won three straight, all over ranked teams.
Top 25 Men
NO. 13 TEXAS TECH 57, NO. 9 OKLAHOMA 52: In Lubbock, Texas, Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 points, including four free throws in the final 39 seconds, and the Red Raiders ended a five-game winning streak by the short-handed Sooners that included three in a row over Top10 teams.
Texas Tech (13-5, 5-4 Big 12) had its largest lead at 50-40 when Kevin McCullar made a 3-pointer and then assisted on a 3-pointer by Shannon with 3:21 left. McCullar’s made 3 came after Mac McClung nearly had a turnover, but recovered past midcourt and then passed to McCullar in the right corner in front of the Red Raiders bench.
But Oklahoma (11-5, 6-4), which had missed 13 of its previous 15 shots, responded with seven points in a row, including Umoja Gibson stealing a ball from McCullar and then making a 3-pointer with 2:18 left. Gibson, who led the Sooners with 14 points, made another 3 with 1:01 left to get within 52-50 before Shannon converted at the line.
Oklahoma was without starting guards Austin Reaves and Alondes Williams because of COVID-19 protocols, after both also missed Saturday’s 66-61 win at thenNo. 9 Alabama in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Reaves was fifth in the Big 12 at 15.8 points a game, and third with 5.1 assists.
NO. 25 DRAKE 95, ILLINOIS STATE 60: In Des Moines, Iowa, Tremell Murphy scored 30 points and Drake rolled past Illinois State in the Bulldogs’ first game as a ranked team in nearly 13 years.
ShanQuan Hemphill had 18 points for the Bulldogs (17-0, 8-0 Missouri Valley Conference), who improved to 37-4 in the Knapp Center under coach Darian DeVries.
SMART: Texas coach Shaka Smart said Monday he had “significant” symptoms while in extended isolation from his team and family after testing positive for COVID-19 as he and the No. 6 Longhorns prepare for a showdown with No. 2 Baylor.
“This was not a walk in the park for me, not saying it has been for anyone else,” Smart said ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup of the top two teams in the Big 12. “When you go through that kind of stuff, it certainly swirls some things around your mind.”
Smart returned to the team Sunday and will be on the bench against Baylor. He didn’t detail the extent of the symptoms he experienced, but appeared frustrated that Texas played last week’s home loss to No. 9 Oklahoma when the Longhorns were missing their head coach, two starters and a key reserve because of COVID-19.