December 30th, 2015: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at New Mexico State (Fordham Holiday Classic)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A first quarter of runs gave way to a second half surge from New Mexico State, as the Aggies won the consolation game of the Fordham Holiday Classic 70-51 over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Brooke Salas led all scorers with 18 points, adding five rebounds. Brittany Mbamalu was the only scorer in double figures for the Islanders, with 11.

For sneaking, pressing, rebounding, blue jackets, back pain, and sandwiches, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Hello, once again! Day 2 of playing hooky sends your intrepid blogger up to Fordham for the second day of their holiday tournament. The undercard features Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Mexico State; since I've been hearing a lot about the Aggies from a Board Junkie.

There is an absolutely fascinating conversation about literature and publishing going on around me. I knew I made the right choice not backtracking to the J to the F to the D. (If you're an editor with interestingly colored hair and a girl with a laptop was shamelessly eavesdropping on your conversation on the E train, please drop a comment. It's a million to one chance, but it just might work.)

I really like Corpus Christi's colors. Very vibrant.

Why is my signal cutting out? :(

The perils of the undercard game: there are literally fourteen people in the stands, including me. It's filled up a bit since then.

At halftime, New Mexico State is up 30-26. Aggies got out to a 16-6 lead, on the strength of some tenacious pressure in the backcourt, before coughing up a 14-0 run. It's been tight ever since. Both teams seem fond of the three. Islanders are rebounding way better. Neither team can really finish at the rim, which has been frustrating as a basketball fan. Tamera William and Brooke Salas each have 7 to lead NMSU, Salas's last basket coming on a third-chance putback right before the buzzer. Brittany Mbamalu has 9 on a trio of treys to lead TAMU-CC.

If you go to a Fordham game, the Subway across the street is staffed by lovely, understanding people, and they deserve patronage and tips.

That game lasted far longer than it should have. Too many people were committing unnecessary fouls well after the outcome was no longer in doubt. No reason to foul a three-point shooter- well, EVER, but certainly not when the deficit is about 15 points and the time remaining is under two minutes.

The Islanders used a lot of subs in short stints, and seemed to do a lot of direct subs, especially at point guard (as opposed to rotation). This would be a lot easier with stats, but they're using Fordham's live stats, and obviously those are being re-set for the Fordham game. And it always takes a while for box scores to go up, especially for neutral-site games. Good thing I always roll my own.

I get this strange feeling that Shelby Miskell might be TAMU-CC's Nikki Jo- the maverick colt who needs to be... persuaded to get along with the coach. She was committing a lot of stupid mistakes late in the game, and getting reprimanded for them. Sure has a pretty shot, though. Mykayla Flores reminds me of a dwarf, but not the show-on-TLC kind, the kind that opens up cans of whoop-ass with axes in sword-and-sorcery fantasy (only less bearded). This is a terrible description. She's short, she's solid, and she's tough. She was relentless on defense and had a high-arcing shot on offense. She took a lot of contact and dished out a lot of contact. Shola Adebayo was a scorer in the first half, putting up threes, but in the second half, she was doing more on defense, or at least trying to do more on defense. She really racked up the fouls early in the fourth quarter.

Camesha Davis was very active on the glass and defensively- she had a beautiful block on Moriah Mack. Maddisen Turner and her mini-pigtails stood tall down low. She had a play that was almost a wonderful defensive play, but she was just in the circle, and it went from drawing a charge to an and-1 for Brooke Salas. Uri Jolivette saw her time in the second half, and was somewhat intimidating with her facemask.

Gee Lawler played her minutes in short spurts, getting spelled pretty often (usually by Turner). For a big, she's awfully tentative- I feel like she could have gone up more often and with more force. Kre'Ana Henry lists as a center, and rebounds like a center, but most of her shots were well away from the basket.

Jennifer Ramirez ran point, and while she has the leadership you need from a point guard, she didn't show the composure and quick decision-making under pressure that separates the good from the rest of the pack. New Mexico State brought a lot of pressure, and she couldn't handle the traps and the press. Kassie Jones got aggressive defensively and always seemed to be in the middle of the play. Brittany Mbamalu set up outside a lot and picked up long-range rebounds. There was a sequence where she almost lost the ball, but kept her dribble even as she went to the floor.

I am crazy in love with NMSU's full-court press. I love that kind of pressure, and they execute it really well.

Abby Scott reminds me of someone, and I can't put my finger on whom. Whoever she reminds me of, she has a really light, pretty, three-point shot. She tries on defense, too, but not as effectively. Emily Hardin saw her first time in the second half, and lit up from beyond the arc. She gambled well defensively. Her teammates really seemed to be encouraging her. Zaire Williams played point for stretches of the second half. She didn't look as comfortable doing it as any of the other options.

Jasmine Cooper got time near the end of the game and got a nifty block- but also got a block call against her. Brandee Walton also saw her time near the end of the game. Tyler Ellis was strong, and had good chemistry with Tamera William. I feel like she could have done more with her build inside. Moriah Mack came up with big plays in the second half.

Sasha Weber's tough. She got herself in trouble in the third quarter with three fairly quick fouls, though. Some nice rebounding from her. Shanice Davis came up big in the third quarter, including a sweet finish on a steal from Tamera William. Brooke Salas looked awkward, but when NMSU needed a big basket, they got it from her. She hit the basket to end the first half that kept the momentum going for the Aggies, and she had some key plays down the stretch as well. I like her spirit.

Brianna Freeman made a lot of good defensive plays- she had two beautiful blocks, one on Lawler and one on Turner, and a couple of steals. I like her activity on the floor and in the paint. Tamera William was everywhere, seemingly at the same time. She covered a lot of ground in a hurry. Sometimes she was putting a little too much oomph into her shots and not taking the extra quarter second to get a better shot.

When the press worked, it worked. When it didn't work, they weren't able to react as well. They relied on that and on their offense.

This wasn't a very good game, but at least it was a more interesting one than the title fight that was to follow. Not to mention that the Islanders have really boss gear, including their letter jackets.