Ags welcome Cal Baptist to El Paso
NMSU still looking for first victory vs. D-I foe
Starting Friday, we learn whether the New Mexico State men’s basketball team can rebound from a rare 0-2 league start, and just how much the Aggies feel at “home” in a high school gym in El Paso.
The Aggies (3-3, 0-2 Western Athletic Conference) are scheduled to face the Cal Baptist Lancers (8-5, 3-3) on Friday and Saturday at Eastwood High. Tipoff for both games is 7 p.m. (1150 AM in Albuquerque). NMSU is playing its men’s and women’s home games at Eastwood for the rest of the season because of the state’s pandemic-related public health order preventing competitions in New Mexico. In this strangest of seasons, fans won’t be allowed there either.
New Mexico State, a three-time defending league champion, is still in search of its first Division I win of the season after getting swept by Grand Canyon in its WAC-opening road series. The Aggies shot a combined 25-for-104 (24 percent) from the floor and 12-for-61 from deep (19.7 percent) in those losses.
But the Aggies should gain strength soon. The debut of 6-foot-6 Oklahoma State transfer Marcus Watson is coming after the Buford, Ga., product gained eligibility Tuesday. New Mexico State is also hoping to see the return of Mayan Kiir, the South Florida transfer who missed the Aggies’ past three games with a bruised tailbone.
The Lancers are averaging a WAC-best 83.5 points per contest this season, and they’re led by 6-2 junior Ty Rowell’s average team highs of 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 40.2 percent from distance. Gorjok Gak, at 6-11, is averaging 12.7 points and team highs of 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest.
NOTES: No. 2 Baylor has had its season interrupted again because of COVID-19 protocols, with the Big 12 Conference postponing the Bears’ next two scheduled games.
The Big 12 announced the postponements Thursday. The Bears, who at 17-0 have matched the best start in school history, were supposed to host TCU on Saturday and play at No. 9 Oklahoma next Wednesday.
Thursday games: Men
No. 1 GONZAGA 76, PACIFIC 58: In Stockton, Calif., Drew Timme scored a seasonhigh 21 points after a sluggish start and Gonzaga overcame a sloppy performance to beat Pacific.
The Bulldogs (18-0, 9-0 West Coast Conference) trailed at halftime for only the second time this season and didn’t pull away until midway through the second half, extending the nation’s longest active winning streak to 22 games dating to 2019-20.
No. 7 OHIO STATE 89, No. 8 IOWA 85: In Iowa City, Iowa, E.J. Liddell, Kyle Young and Duane Washington Jr. each had 16 points as Ohio State beat Iowa.
The Buckeyes (15-4, 9-4 Big Ten) moved into a tie for second place in the conference with Illinois, one game behind Michigan. Iowa is 13-5, 7-4.
COLORADO STATE 74, WYOMING 72: In Laramie, Wyo., John Tonje came off the bench to tally 16 points, the last a driving layup with 5.8 seconds left, to lift Colorado State to a win over Wyoming.
Wyoming’s 3-point try from the top of the key bounced off the back iron as time expired.
David Roddy had 15 points and eight rebounds for Colorado State (13-4, 10-3 MWC). Marcus Williams had 17 points and six assists for the Cowboys (10-8, 4-7).
UTAH STATE 69, FRESNO STATE 53: In Fresno, Calif., Neemias Queta had 14 points and five blocks as the visiting Aggies beat Fresno State.
Alphonso Anderson had 13 points for Utah State (14-5, 11-2 MWC). Steven Ashworth added 10 points. FSU is 7-7, 5-7.
Thursday game: Women
No. 2 SOUTH CAROLINA 77, AUBURN 58: In Auburn, Ala., Zia Cooke scored all 17 of her points in the first half and Aliyah Boston added 14 points and eight rebounds to lead South Carolina over Auburn.
The Gamecocks (15-1, 10-0 SEC) built a commanding early lead and take a 12-game winning streak into Sunday’s visit to No. 3 Connecticut.