NM State (2-3, 0-0 WAC) at UTEP (5-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Wednesday, November 30, 2022 | 7:00 p.m. MT | Don Haskins Center
Watch | Live Stats | Digital Program | NM State Game Notes
Opening Tip
After spending Thanksgiving weekend in Denver for the Denver Classic, NM State (2-3, 0-0 WAC) returns to the Borderland for a matchup against I-10 rival UTEP (5-1, 0-0 C-USA).
The Miners are riding a hot streak against the Aggies, winning the last six meetings, dating back to 2019. UTEP will make the return trip to Las Cruces on December 13, 2022.
News and Notes
Scouting the Miners
The Miners are 5-1 on the season, though the teams they've beaten (New Orleans, Kansas City, Texas Southern, Texas State, San Jose State) have a combined record of 4-20.
Most recently UTEP split a pair of games at the Holiday Beach Classic, picking up a 67-54 win over San Jose State before falling to Sacramento State 63-50. Jazion Jackson led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds against the Spartans, while N'Yah Boyd carried the scoring load against the Hornets pouring in 18 points.
Four Miners are averaging double digits on the season: Mahri Petree (14.5), N'Yah Boyd (14.2), Elina Arike (11.0), and Jazion Jackson (10.3). Jackson leads the team with six three-pointers on the year, while Adhel Tac paces the team in rebounds (6.5)
As a team UTEP leads C-USA in turnover margin (+7.3), fourth in scoring defense (60.7), scoring margin (+9.3), rebounds (38.7), and steals (8.2), eighth in C-USA for field goal percentage (38.3%), three-point percentage (27.8%), and rebounding margin (+1.0), while last in the conference in blocked shots (0.67).
The Adams Family
Jody Adams enters her first season as the head coach of NM State. Adams has a history of success throughout Division I basketball, including 185 career wins.
Most notably, Adams led Wichita State for the nine most successful seasons in program history. Before Adams was hired, the Shockers had only one 20-win season in school history and had never made the NCAA Tournament, won a Missouri Valley title, or won the Missouri Valley Tournament tile. Under Adams, Wichita State posted four-straight 20-win seasons and made six-straight postseason appearances from 2009-15.
Taylor Time
Swiftly dropping the hits, Taylor Donaldson leads NM State in scoring with 10.7 points per game. Against New Mexico Highlands, Donaldson dropped 17 points on 6-8 from the floor, including a triple.
Coaching Staff
The entire NM State coaching staff is new for the 2022-23 season. Adams brought in Patrick Harrison, Chynna Turner, and Zach Banks as assistant coaches for her first staff in Las Cruces.
Harrison comes to NM State from Kansas City, where he spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach under now Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt.
Turner played for Adams at Wichita State prior to entering the world of coaching. Before coming to NM State, Turner spent four seasons at Gardner-Webb, leading the Bulldogs to 61 wins.
Banks joins the Aggies after serving as an assistant at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla. Banks' time in Florida was capped off with a 2021 NJCCA National Championship and a career record of 128-22 (.853).
Tournament Tested Tilts
The test with Colorado won't be the last time NM State faces an opponent from the 2022 NCAA Tournament this season. The Aggies will also square off with Stephen. F. Austin (12 seed; Lost to North Carolina) on February 28 and will host WAC newcomer UT Arlington (14 seed; Lost to Iowa State) on February 23.
Conference Variety
The Aggies will square off with teams from ten different conferences throughout the 2022-23 season.
⁃- Pac-12 (Colorado)
⁃- Ivy League (Yale)
⁃- Summit (Denver)
⁃- Mountain West (New Mexico)
⁃- Conference USA (UTEP)
⁃- West Coast (San Diego)
⁃- Big Sky (Idaho, Portland State)
⁃- Rocky Mountain Athletic - NCAA Division II (New Mexico Highlands)
⁃- Continental Athletic - NAIA (Northern New Mexico)
⁃- WAC (UTRGV, Southern Utah, Utah Valley, Tarleton, Sam Houston, Utah Tech, Grand Canyon, Seattle U, Abilene Christian, California Baptist, UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin.)
Ms. Worldwide
The Aggies have seven international players on the roster throughout 2022-23. Sabou Gueye and Fama Thiam both hail from Senegal while Nigeria (Ene Adams), Sweden (SoufiaInoussa), Japan (Moe Shida), New Zealand (Ashlee Strawbridge), and Spain (Lucia Yenes) are all represented as well.
Frequent Fliers
NM State will also hit the road for games in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, California, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, and Washington during the 22-23 campaign. In addition, the WAC Tournament is held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada - Adding a ninth state to the list.
Road Warriors
The Aggies will play five of their last seven games on the road before the start of conference play, which begins December 29thagainst UTRGV in Edinburg. NM State will travel down I-10 to play UTEP (Nov. 30) before NM State heads to sunny San Diego for the San Diego Classic (Dec. 3/4 vs. San Diego/Idaho). A road tilt against New Mexico (Dec. 11) and a matchup with Portland State (Dec. 17) close out the Aggies slate of non-conference road games.
Last Time Out
NM State (2-3, 0-0 WAC) traveled to the Centennial State over Thanksgiving weekend and recorded a pair of losses in the Denver Classic, falling to Yale 73-65 and host of the tournament Denver 60-51.
Fama Thiam managed 18 points and seven rebounds in the game versus Yale to lead the team in scoring, while JUCO transfer Ashlee Strawbridge paced the Aggies with 11 points and six rebounds against Denver. Sabou Gueye finished with team highs in rebounds (11) and assists (3) while chipping in eight points in the game against the Pioneers.
Up Next
After a quick pit stop in El Paso the Aggies head to the west coast for the San Diego Classic. NM State will match up with tournament host San Diego on Saturday, December 3rd before facing off with former WAC foe Idaho on Sunday, November 26. Both games are scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
