Cowabunga! NMSU demolishes Utah State

Yes, Utah States was shorthanded but still nobody expected such a rout. Let's get right into it:

NMSU scores big home win against Utah State
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
1/27/2008

LAS CRUCES — Perhaps New Mexico State University would take it easy on Utah State on Saturday.

Maybe not.

After all, Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies knows what it's like to play shorthanded.

Utah State head coach Stew Morrill suspended four players for a violation of team rules on Saturday and the Aggies ran Morrill's UtAgs out of Las Cruces, 100-70, in front of 7,014 fans at the Pan Am and countless more on ESPN2.

It was the UtAgs first WAC loss of the season.

"Our hope was with their roster being a little depleted, we could maybe wear them down a little bit and it worked," Menzies said. "I expressed a little statement of sympathy for Stew because I've been in his shoes before and it's not fun but it is basketball and it's a part of the business. You have to do what you have to do to teach these kids lessons."

Saturday's victory also helped NMSU keep Utah State within striking distance in the conference standings. NMSU improved to 11-11 and 5-2 in league play while the UtAgs are now 15-6 and 5-1 in the WAC...

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and

From the Utah perspective:

Blowout
Shawn Harrison
Logan Jerald Journal
January 27, 2008

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A stiff challenge became even harder before the game even began for Utah State.

But the Aggies came out and hung with a talented New Mexico State team for the first 13 minutes. Then it got away and turned real ugly for the visitors.

In a battle of the Western Athletic Conference Aggies, it was those wearing Crimson and White that reigned. NMSU used a surge before halftime to get some breathing room, blew it open to start the second half and cruised to a 100-70 win Saturday at the Pan American Center in front of 7,014 fans.

“We just got our butts kicked, that’s what it boils down to,” USU head coach Stew Morrill said. “It was no fun. They (Southern Aggies) deserve all the credit...”

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and

Nevada cncludes a very successful road trip.

Pack basketball: Nevada blows past Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
STEVE SNEDDON
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
1/27/2008

Nevada 83, Louisiana Tech 70
Key stat: 61.2 percent. That was Nevada's shooting percentage from the field as it hit 30 of 49 for the game after hitting 16-of-25 for 64 percent in the second half.
Key play: JaVale McGee's layup to begin the Pack's second half scoring came after Tech had scored the first four points to cut the deficit to seven points and it never got any closer.
Key to the game: It was Nevada's composure and confidence after the lead changed hands eight times in the first 13 minutes of the game and then rallied to lead by 23 points twice.

RUSTON, La. -- The Nevada basketball team is better here than it is at Lawlor Events Center.

The Wolf Pack loses every once in a while in Reno. It never loses at Thomas Assembly Center, or so it seems. The Pack extended its win streak at the arena to seven games as it stopped Louisiana Tech, 83-70, in front of 1,467 fans Saturday.

Nevada's reserves particularly liked the Assembly Center as they combined for 31 points after combining for a total of 12 points in the previous three games against Idaho, Boise State and New Mexico State. Senior David Ellis led the Pack off the bench with a career-high 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field.

Among the starters, JaVale McGee and Armon Johnson had 12 points each and Marcelus Kemp had 11 as no Pack player played more than 28 minutes.

"I subbed a lot for everybody," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "We didn't have a real sharpness to us early. We paraded them in and out of there before we were able to look a little sharper.

"We had difficulty defending early and we had to play some zone. Eventually, we got geared up. That zone played a big part for us. It allowed us to play two big players and not have to adjust to their smaller lineup."

Nevada was able to go back to its more familiar man-to-man defense after it began taking control in the final minutes of the first half...

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and

What's the story with Matt Gipson (or 'Honolulu Inc' as we call him)? He was disciplined earlier this year and also in 2005-2006. The starting point and a fifth-year senior, it seems he should be exhibiting leadership, especially so for his younger teammates, but sadly is not doing so.

University of Hawaii burns Idaho, 58-53
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser
January 27, 2008

MOSCOW, Idaho—A disciplined defense — and a disciplined Matt Gibson — led the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team to a 58-53 victory over Idaho last night.

A Cowan Spectrum crowd of 1,518 — the largest home attendance of the season for Idaho — walked into the freezing night in silence as Hawai'i was able to avenge a disappointing loss here last season.

"I thought everybody contributed to this win, that's what makes it a good win," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "We talked about being at our best defensively for this game, and for the most part, I thought we were."

Gibson led the Rainbow Warriors with 16 points off the bench.

He did not start due to disciplinary reasons, but entered the game with 15:19 remaining in the first half and played extensively the rest of the way.

"This is my job, and regardless of the situation, I'm going to do my part to help this team win," Gibson said.

The 6-foot-5 senior point guard, who was held out of Friday's practice for "insubordination," shot 6 of 9 from the field and passed for four assists in 30 minutes last night.

"It was a big deal at the time, but we weren't going to let it divide us," Nash said. "We addressed the issue, Matt was held accountable for his actions, and he came out and helped us win the game."

Gibson's effort led a balanced Hawai'i attack. Bobby Nash and Jared Dillinger added 12 points each, and P.J. Owsley scored a season-high 10.

The score was tied at 48 with 2:58 remaining, but Gibson's driving layup put Hawai'i up for good at 50-48 with 2:23 remaining. The 'Bows went 8 for 8 on free throws in the final 1:47 to secure the victory...

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and

Fresno State and Eddie Miller rout San Jose State.

Home cookin' gets it done for Bulldogs
Miller, 'Dogs get back into win column with rout of Spartans
Gary Estwick
The Fresno Bee
1/26/08

Eddie Miller pumped his chest with both hands, glanced into the Save Mart Center crowd and smiled, signaling the return of his jump shot.

Nedeljko Golubovic was more subtle with his celebrations during Fresno State's 75-58 win over San Jose State. The freshman, who earned his second start of the season, supplemented his post moves with several high fives from teammates on the bench.

For the first time in a week, the Bulldogs had something to be happy about. And Kevin Bell had help scoring.

In front of 10,619 fans, Miller broke out of his two-game slump with 27 points, tying a career high.

"It's hard going into someone else's gym and play as well as you want to," Miller said. "You come back home, it's a lot different."

Golubovic added 14 points to go along with six rebounds, and with each basket in the post, continued to develop into another scoring threat the team desperately needs.

On defense, Golubovic did just enough to slow down C.J. Webster, denying him the ball in the first half and in the second half, he helped double-team C.J. Webster. Golubovic had four steals, thanks to intercepting entry passes.

Bell, Fresno State's leading scorer this season, finished with 15 points and eight assists...

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