Latest news with #CUSA
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Delaware, Missouri State Add To Conference USA's Growing Inventory Of New FBS Teams
Delaware and Missouri State officially join Conference USA on July 1 and will increase league membership to 12 and FBS membership to 136. The Blue Hens and Bears will make it five schools in three seasons to have elevated from the FCS to the FBS and join CUSA. Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State made the move in 2023 and Kennesaw State in 2024. The five former FCS schools came from as many different conferences and are the most recent to elevate to the higher subdivision. UD was in the Coastal Athletic Association (formerly Colonial Athletic Association), MSU came from the Missouri Valley Conference, Kennesaw State was in the Big South, Jacksonville State had two years in the Atlantic Sun following an 18-year stint in the Ohio Valley Conference, and Sam Houston State had two seasons in the WAC after a 33-year run in the Southland Conference. Delaware and Missouri State will also make it seven schools to join CUSA in the aforementioned timeframe as previously independent Liberty and New Mexico State came on board in 2023, and at a time when independents have virtually disappeared. (Only Notre Dame and UConn will be on their own in 2025, though in entirely different spheres.) The Flames left the Big South to join the FBS in 2018 and were independent for five seasons before joining CUSA. The Aggies have had a nomadic time of it this century having been a member of four conferences, including two stints in the Sun Belt, and have twice been independent. Taking on five schools from the FCS and two from the independent ranks was necessary for Conference USA given the wheels that were set in motion in autumn 2021 when Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA announced they were departing for the American Athletic Conference effective 2023. That was the year Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss decided to leave for the Sun Belt. Hence, CUSA had to quickly re-make itself, which it did by filling the gaps around holdovers FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky. In the not-so-distant past, teams that moved up from the FCS usually took their lumps while finding their footing in college football's highest level. Because of how Conference USA has restructured and with Western Kentucky the only holdover having achieved notable success (10 bowl appearances in 11 years, one top 25 finish) as a league member, opportunities have been abundant for the FBS newbies and the former independents to achieve immediate success. Below are examples. The Gamecocks won the conference championship last season as a second-year FBS and CUSA member. Their lone conference loss was at Western Kentucky in the regular-season finale before blasting (52-12) the Hilltoppers a week later for the title. Rich Rodriguez led the program's transition to the FBS and went 27-10 in three seasons (13-3 in two years of CUSA play) before returning to West Virginia. Charles Kelly, an assistant at JSU in the 1990s, takes over. If not for a mid-season loss to Western Kentucky, the Bearkats would have played JSU for the conference title. As it turned out, Sam Houston State was the only CUSA team to win double-digit games (10-3) last season. Coach K.C. Keeler, who succeeded College Football Hall of Famer Tubby Raymond at Delaware – Keeler was a Blue Hens linebacker under Raymond -- in 2002 and ran the program for 11 years before taking over at Sam Houston State, returned to the I-95 corridor in December to coach Temple. Phil Longo returned to Huntsville to run the program. He was the Bearkats' OC for three seasons (2014-16) under Keeler before serving in the same role with Ole Miss, North Carolina and Wisconsin. The Aggies' inaugural CUSA campaign of 2023 resulted in a championship game appearance, a slugfest (49-35) of a defeat to Liberty, which was in its first season with the conference. Jerry Kill's team went 10-2 in the regular season – their loss to the Flames was followed by bowl loss to Fresno State – for the program's first double-digit win season since 1960 when the school was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association with, among others, Arizona and Arizona State. Tony Sanchez took over Kill and enters his second season as coach. The 2023 conference championship win over New Mexico State noted above sealed a New Year's Six Bowl for the Flames, who improved to 13-0 and ascended to No. 18 in the AP poll. Jamey Chadwell's first year at the helm in Lynchburg concluded with a Fiesta Bowl blowout loss (45-6) to Oregon, and a No. 25 ranking. True, Kennesaw State went 2-10 last year in its inaugural FBS season. Both wins, however, were in conference play, including against Liberty, and a pair of losses were in overtime. Not too bad for a school that did not field a football program until 2015 and was led by Brian Bohannon from day one before his awkward departure late last season. Former North Carolina Central head coach and NFL assistant, Jerry Mack, takes over. In the larger picture as far as Conference USA is concerned, Delaware and Missouri State coming on board should only aid the long-term health of the league, if indeed there is such a thing as 'long-term' in college football. CUSA, though, has done a nice job of continuing to build itself in a rather unique manner and with 11 states represented in what will be a 12-team league for the fast-arriving 2025 college football season.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NCAA softball tournament regional recap: How 2 top-10 teams — including No. 1 Texas A&M — went out
The first weekend of the NCAA softball tournament brought the unprecedented this year. Texas A&M became the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated in the regional round, losing to Liberty on Sunday to end a stunningly roller-coaster day. Liberty defeated Texas A&M in the teams' first meeting Saturday, meaning the Aggies had to beat the Flames twice Sunday to stave off elimination. After Texas A&M roared back to defeat Liberty in extra innings in Sunday's first game — a game that included 25 runs and multi-run comebacks from both teams — the Aggies couldn't hold a lead in the nightcap. A five-run sixth inning was the difference in a 6-5 Liberty win. Advertisement Liberty forged ahead to the super regional round for the first time in program history and became the early story of the 2025 tournament. '(It) doesn't surprise me,' Liberty senior and Conference USA Softball Player of the Year Rachel Roupe said Sunday. The Flames, the CUSA champions, will travel to play No. 16 Oregon in the super regional. They were one of four unseeded teams to pull upsets on seeded opponents' home fields over the weekend. Nebraska, led by former Oklahoma star and 2023 Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player Jordy Bahl, advanced out of the Baton Rouge regional without needing to face No. 10 LSU. Southeastern Louisiana upset LSU twice to knock out the Tigers, but the Cornhuskers breezed to 14-1 and 8-0 wins over SLU to advance. Bahl finished the regional 5-for-5 with four home runs at the plate and allowed just two hits over 12 innings in the circle. Advertisement Ole Miss and No. 13 Arizona squared off twice Sunday, with the Wildcats forcing a Game 7 earlier in the day before Ole Miss' 7-3 thumping in the final game. It was a similar story for No. 14 Duke and Georgia, with the Bulldogs reigning supreme in Game 7 by a 5-2 margin. No. 2 Oklahoma, the SEC tournament co-champion alongside Texas A&M, outscored its opponents 31-3 in three wins and remains in pursuit of its fifth straight national championship. Regional winners Bryan-College Station: Liberty Liberty's 8-5 upset of Texas A&M on Saturday set the stage for the biggest upset in NCAA history on Sunday. The Flames beat the Aggies in two of three outings, with the last two games both needing all seven innings and every second to claim victory. Advertisement 'We were battling all day long,' Roupe said. 'It took us eight hours to do it. But whatever we needed to get it done, and we did it.' Norman: No. 2 Oklahoma The Sooners cruised through the regionals unscathed. Oklahoma shut out Boston University 8-0 before defeating Cal two straight times, 11-2 and 12-1. Oklahoma will make its 15th straight super regional appearance, the longest active streak in Division I, per the SEC Network. Gainesville: No. 3 Florida Florida was so dominant in its regional that it run-ruled its opponents in all three games. It was the first time in program history that the Gators have done so. Advertisement Florida's final scores were 8-0 against Mercer, 14-6 against Florida Atlantic and 8-0 against Mercer again in the final. Fayetteville: No. 4 Arkansas After shutting out Saint Louis 10-0, Arkansas saw its super regional hopes flounder in its matchup versus Oklahoma State. Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Razorbacks senior Courtney Day doubled to bring in two runs, and another double from freshman Ella McDowell knotted the game at five to send it to extra innings. After a scoreless top of the eighth for the Cowboys, Day's at-bat — again — saved the day for the Razorbacks. A single with bases loaded gave Arkansas the 6-5 victory, and it went on to thrash Oklahoma State 12-0 in the finals the next day. Tallahassee: No. 5 Florida State Auburn took Florida State to a Game 7 in its regional round, but the Seminoles started the final strong with two runs in the first inning and ended it strong with two runs over the fifth and sixth innings for the 4-0 win. Advertisement Austin: No. 6 Texas The Longhorns frolicked their way to the super regionals, ousting all opponents by a 35-6 margin. Texas beat every opponent in its regional bracket — Eastern Illinois, Michigan and UCF, respectively. Knoxville: No. 7 Tennessee Tennessee's smooth journey through regionals started by blasting Miami (Ohio) 17-0 in its opening game. A double defeat of Ohio State followed for the regional crown. Columbia: No. 8 South Carolina After cruising past North Florida 8-0 in the regional final, South Carolina is heading to its first super regionals since 2018 and first under first-year head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard. Advertisement Chastain Woodard, a former Gamecocks pitcher and graduate assistant coach, was hired in June 2024. Los Angeles: No. 9 UCLA UCLA went on a 31-2 tear en route to a seamless run through the regional, ending each game by the run rule. Baton Rouge: Nebraska Bahl became the fourth player in NCAA history to have 20 home runs and 20 wins in the same season following her regional-round dominance. Clemson: No. 11 Clemson Clemson and Northwestern were scoreless through eight innings before freshman Marian Collins bunted the team to victory. Her hit brought in the runner on third, and the Tigers' defense in the bottom of the ninth got the Wildcats out in four batters. The Tigers then toppled Kentucky 5-1 for a trip to their third super regionals in four years. Advertisement Lubbock: No. 12 Texas Tech Texas Tech made its first super regionals in school history after squeaking by Mississippi State 9-6. The Bulldogs posted a three-run fifth inning to narrow the gap 7-6, but the Red Raiders never relinquished their wire-to-wire lead. Tucson: Ole Miss Ole Miss bested No. 13 Arizona twice in the last three games of the regional round to advance. It marked the first time in program history that Ole Miss took down a national seed in the NCAA softball tournament. The Rebels also snapped the Wildcats' 23-game regional win streak. Durham: Georgia Georgia junior Jaydyn Goodwin nailed a home run over right field in extra innings to earn Georgia's winning run in a 5-2 victory against Duke in the winner-take-all Game 7. It was Goodwin's team-best 12th homer of the year. With the win, the Bulldogs advance to their third straight super regionals and fourth in the last five seasons. Advertisement Tuscaloosa: No. 15 Alabama Three wins in a row, and Alabama secured its third straight and record-setting 19th super regionals. Eugene: No. 16 Oregon Oregon and Stanford were tied 7-all in the bottom of the seventh. With a runner on first and third, Oregon senior Dezianna Patmon hammered a homer to left field for the walk-off win. Oregon was the last team to secure a spot in the super regionals — and it's a home game at that, after Liberty's defeat of No. 1 Texas A&M set up a Ducks-Flames second-round matchup. Super regional schedule All times in ET. Each series is best of three. Eugene: Liberty vs. No. 16 Oregon Game 1: Friday, 10 p.m. Advertisement Game 2: Saturday, 7 p.m. Game 3 (if needed): Sunday Norman: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Alabama Game 1: Friday, 5 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 3 p.m. Game 3 (if needed): Sunday Gainesville: No. 3 Florida vs. Georgia Game 1: Friday, 11 a.m. Game 2: Saturday, 11 a.m. Game 3 (if needed): Sunday Fayetteville: No. 4 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss Game 1: Friday, 8 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 9 p.m. Game 3 (if needed): Sunday Tallahassee: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 12 Texas Tech Game 1: Thursday, 7 p.m. Game 2: Friday, 3 p.m. Game 3 (if needed): Saturday Austin: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Clemson Game 1: Thursday, 9 p.m. Game 2: Friday, 9 p.m. Advertisement Game 3 (if needed): Saturday Knoxville: No. 7 Tennessee vs. Nebraska Game 1: Friday, 7 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 5 p.m. Game 3 (if needed): Sunday Columbia: No. 8 South Carolina vs. No. 9 UCLA Game 1: Friday, 1 p.m. Game 2: Saturday, 1 p.m. Game 3 (if needed): Sunday This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Women's College Basketball, College Sports, Women's College Sports 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NCAA softball tournament regional recap: How 2 top-10 teams — including No. 1 Texas A&M — went out
The first weekend of the NCAA softball tournament brought the unprecedented this year. Texas A&M became the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated in the regional round, losing to Liberty on Sunday to end a stunningly roller-coaster day. Liberty defeated Texas A&M in the teams' first meeting Saturday, meaning the Aggies had to beat the Flames twice Sunday to stave off elimination. After Texas A&M roared back to defeat Liberty in extra innings in Sunday's first game — a game that included 25 runs and multi-run comebacks from both teams — the Aggies couldn't hold a lead in the nightcap. A five-run sixth inning was the difference in a 6-5 Liberty win. Advertisement Liberty forged ahead to the super regional round for the first time in program history and became the early story of the 2025 tournament. '(It) doesn't surprise me,' Liberty senior and Conference USA Softball Player of the Year Rachel Roupe said Sunday. History 👏#RoadToWCWS x 🎥 @LibertySB — NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 19, 2025 The Flames, the CUSA champions, will travel to play No. 16 Oregon in the super regional. They were one of four unseeded teams to pull upsets on seeded opponents' home fields over the weekend. Nebraska, led by former Oklahoma star and 2023 Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player Jordy Bahl, advanced out of the Baton Rouge regional without needing to face No. 10 LSU. Southeastern Louisiana upset LSU twice to knock out the Tigers, but the Cornhuskers breezed to 14-1 and 8-0 wins over SLU to advance. Bahl finished the regional 5-for-5 with four home runs at the plate and allowed just two hits over 12 innings in the circle. Ole Miss and No. 13 Arizona squared off twice Sunday, with the Wildcats forcing a Game 7 earlier in the day before Ole Miss' 7-3 thumping in the final game. It was a similar story for No. 14 Duke and Georgia, with the Bulldogs reigning supreme in Game 7 by a 5-2 margin. No. 2 Oklahoma, the SEC tournament co-champion alongside Texas A&M, outscored its opponents 31-3 in three wins and remains in pursuit of its fifth straight national championship. Bryan-College Station: Liberty Liberty's 8-5 upset of Texas A&M on Saturday set the stage for the biggest upset in NCAA history on Sunday. The Flames beat the Aggies in two of three outings, with the last two games both needing all seven innings and every second to claim victory. 'We were battling all day long,' Roupe said. 'It took us eight hours to do it. But whatever we needed to get it done, and we did it.' Advertisement Norman: No. 2 Oklahoma The Sooners cruised through the regionals unscathed. Oklahoma shut out Boston University 8-0 before defeating Cal two straight times, 11-2 and 12-1. Oklahoma will make its 15th straight super regional appearance, the longest active streak in Division I, per the SEC Network. SUPERS BOUND‼️ No. 2 Oklahoma blasts Cal, 12-1, to advance to the program's 18th Super Regional!@OU_Softball x @NCAASoftball — Southeastern Conference (@SEC) May 18, 2025 Gainesville: No. 3 Florida Florida was so dominant in its regional that it run-ruled its opponents in all three games. It was the first time in program history that the Gators have done so. Florida's final scores were 8-0 against Mercer, 14-6 against Florida Atlantic and 8-0 against Mercer again in the final. Fayetteville: No. 4 Arkansas After shutting out Saint Louis 10-0, Arkansas saw its super regional hopes flounder in its matchup versus Oklahoma State. Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Razorbacks senior Courtney Day doubled to bring in two runs, and another double from freshman Ella McDowell knotted the game at five to send it to extra innings. After a scoreless top of the eighth for the Cowboys, Day's at-bat — again — saved the day for the Razorbacks. A single with bases loaded gave Arkansas the 6-5 victory, and it went on to thrash Oklahoma State 12-0 in the finals the next day. Arkansas completes the comeback! 🤩@RazorbackSB rallies vs. Oklahoma State to win in walk-off fashion on the #RoadToWCWS — NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 17, 2025 Tallahassee: No. 5 Florida State Auburn took Florida State to a Game 7 in its regional round, but the Seminoles started the final strong with two runs in the first inning and ended it strong with two runs over the fifth and sixth innings for the 4-0 win. Austin: No. 6 Texas The Longhorns frolicked their way to the super regionals, ousting all opponents by a 35-6 margin. Texas beat every opponent in its regional bracket — Eastern Illinois, Michigan and UCF, respectively. Advertisement Knoxville: No. 7 Tennessee Tennessee's smooth journey through regionals started by blasting Miami (Ohio) 17-0 in its opening game. A double defeat of Ohio State followed for the regional crown. Columbia: No. 8 South Carolina After cruising past North Florida 8-0 in the regional final, South Carolina is heading to its first super regionals since 2018 and first under first-year head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard. Chastain Woodard, a former Gamecocks pitcher and graduate assistant coach, was hired in June 2024. Los Angeles: No. 9 UCLA UCLA went on a 31-2 tear en route to a seamless run through the regional, ending each game by the run rule. Baton Rouge: Nebraska Bahl became the fourth player in NCAA history to have 20 home runs and 20 wins in the same season following her regional-round dominance. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? JORDY BAHL DOES IT AGAIN 😱😱😱 — Nebraska Softball (@HuskerSoftball) May 18, 2025 Clemson: No. 11 Clemson Clemson and Northwestern were scoreless through eight innings before freshman Marian Collins bunted the team to victory. Her hit brought in the runner on third, and the Tigers' defense in the bottom of the ninth got the Wildcats out in four batters. We're on the board! Vieira scores on a Collins' bunt. Clemson leads 1-0 with one out. 📺ESPN+ — Clemson Softball 🥎 (@clemsonsoftball) May 17, 2025 The Tigers then toppled Kentucky 5-1 for a trip to their third super regionals in four years. Lubbock: No. 12 Texas Tech Texas Tech made its first super regionals in school history after squeaking by Mississippi State 9-6. The Bulldogs posted a three-run fifth inning to narrow the gap 7-6, but the Red Raiders never relinquished their wire-to-wire lead. Tucson: Ole Miss Ole Miss bested No. 13 Arizona twice in the last three games of the regional round to advance. It marked the first time in program history that Ole Miss took down a national seed in the NCAA softball tournament. Advertisement The Rebels also snapped the Wildcats' 23-game regional win streak. Durham: Georgia Georgia junior Jaydyn Goodwin nailed a home run over right field in extra innings to earn Georgia's winning run in a 5-2 victory against Duke in the winner-take-all Game 7. It was Goodwin's team-best 12th homer of the year. FIRST PITCH OF THE EIGHTH INNING IS OUTTA HERE 💣 Top 8️⃣🐶 3🔵 2 📺 ACCN📱 (ESPN+)📊 | #GoDawgs — Georgia Softball (@UGASoftball) May 18, 2025 With the win, the Bulldogs advance to their third straight super regionals and fourth in the last five seasons. Tuscaloosa: No. 15 Alabama Three wins in a row, and Alabama secured its third straight and record-setting 19th super regionals. Eugene: No. 16 Oregon Oregon and Stanford were tied 7-all in the bottom of the seventh. With a runner on first and third, Oregon senior Dezianna Patmon hammered a homer to left field for the walk-off win. Oregon was the last team to secure a spot in the super regionals — and it's a home game at that, after Liberty's defeat of No. 1 Texas A&M set up a Ducks-Flames second-round matchup. GOODBYE SOFTBALL!!!@dezianna_patmon's homer means Oregon will be HOSTING THE SUPER REGIONALS NEXT WEEKEND!!!#GoDucks | #Version7 — Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) May 19, 2025 All times in ET. Each series is best of three. Eugene: Liberty vs. No. 16 Oregon Norman: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Alabama Gainesville: No. 3 Florida vs. Georgia Fayetteville: No. 4 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss Tallahassee: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 12 Texas Tech Austin: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Clemson Knoxville: No. 7 Tennessee vs. Nebraska Columbia: No. 8 South Carolina vs. No. 9 UCLA
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
La Tech belts 3 straight homers in win over Pine Bluff
RUSTON, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Louisiana Tech hit back-to-back-to-back homeruns for the first time since March 28th, 2017 in an 11-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday night at J.C. Love Field. Sebastian Mexico hits two homers in the game, one was a grand slam, and drove in seven runs on the night. LA Tech's Sebastian Mexico walks off with a game-winning homer Mexico's bomb in the 2nd inning started the three homer stretch, Michael Ballard and Trey Hawsey followed with solo shots to jump start a seven run inning. Kade Parker got the win on the mound pitching six innings of scoreless baseball, giving up just four hits while striking out five batters. Louisiana Tech (27-17, 11-6 CUSA) will play Pine Bluff again Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. before traveling to Bowling Green, Kentucky to take on Western Kentucky in a three game series Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
First up: NMSU women take on LA Tech at CUSA tournament
HUNSTVILLE, Ala. – The Aggies have ended the regular conference season and will go head-to-head for a third time this season against LA Tech in the quarterfinals of the 2025 CUSA Tournament. The winner of the two teams will move on to face the Liberty Flames in the semifinal round in this single elimination bracket. Advertisement HOW TO FOLLOW Who: #4 NM State (17-14, 10-8 CUSA) vs #5 LA Tech (15-14, 8-10 CUSA) Where: Propst Arena – Hunstville, Ala. When: Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 10:30 p.m. MST Live Stream: ESPN+ Live Statistics: StatBroadcast All-Time Series Record: LA Tech leads 16-8 Last Meeting: NMSU won 87-80 (March 6, 2025) LAST TIME AGAINST LA TECH Molly Kaiser capped the Aggies' victory tying her career high in points, putting up 35 points on 14-20 shooting – while also recording four rebounds, four assists, and a steal. This was the 16th recorded 20+ point game of the season for Kaiser and the sixth 30+ point game this season. She also produced career-high in Free throw made and Free throw attempted, ties career-high field goals made. Advertisement Finishing with 18 points on the night, Lucia Yenes recorded a new season-high, surpassing her previous best of 16 points set against WKU on March 1. Similarly, Yenes recorded three steals on Thursday, her second-most in a single game this season behind a career-high five steals in last Saturday's game against WKU. This becomes Yenes' first time scoring double-digits in back-to-back games this season. NM State forced the Lady Techsters into 20 turnovers, scoring 17 points off the giveaways. This is the 10th time the Aggie defense has forced an opponent into 20+ turnovers. THE PRODIGY Molly Kaiser has spent all five seasons with the Crimson & White, making her the longest-tenured Aggie on the 2024-25 roster. The Watauga, Texas, native has 1,865 points across her career and has moved into third all-time in scoring for the Aggies in program history. Scoring over 1,800 points, she's also currently the active leader in career points among CUSA players. She now sits just 66 points shy of moving into second on the Aggies all-time scoring list. Advertisement Last month, Kaiser was named Conference USA Player of the Week for the fifth time this season after dropping 35 points against LA Tech. This marked the fifth CUSA weekly award for Kaiser, which is most by an Aggie in program history. This season, Kaiser has also hauled in two NCAA Starting Five accolades, which recognizes the nation's top five performers each week. She has also recently been selected as the 2025 CUSA Player of the Year along with being selected for a spot on the CUSA's All-Conference team. Kaiser sits at 15th in the nation in points per game (20.7) and 13th in total points (643). FANTA-STIC Fanta Gassama's eight double-doubles thus far marks the first time that an Aggie has recorded five or more double-doubles in a single season since Bigue Sarr tallied 12 double-doubles in the 2021-22 season. Advertisement Fanta tallied her second highest game in rebounds this season, snagging down 14 against the Gamecocks. She currently sits at 23rd in the nation and second in CUSA in defensive rebounds per game (7.1). D-UP At the moment, NM State ranks third in the conference in steals per game (9.67), which has led their opponents into 584 total turnovers. This has carried over in league play as the Aggies currently rank second in turnovers forced per game (19.2) against CUSA opponents. FROM DOWNTOWN Entering Saturday, the Aggies rank third in 3-point percentage in CUSA play, shooting 30.8%. This mark is led by Jaila Harding who is currently shooting an impressive 38.0% from the perimeter against league opponents. Harding has also moved into third on CUSA league leaders in 3-point percentage. Advertisement FRESH FISH Madi Gewirtz picked up her second Conference USA Freshman of the Week last month. Previously, Madi Gewirtz became the first and only player in Aggie program history to earn the honor. February 1st, she scored 17 points over Western Kentucky and picked up four defensive boards along with two assists to serve as a catalyst in the Aggies' win over the Hilltoppers. VETERAN LEADERSHIP The Aggies are led by 11 upperclassmen, including nine seniors. Molly Kaiser and Diarrah Sissoko are each in their fifth season of collegiate basketball, headlining a 15-person roster that has 50 combined seasons of experience, including 32 at NM State. Four Aggies are on at least their third season in the program: Molly Kaiser (five), Sylena Peterson (four), Sianny Sanchez-Oliver (four) and Lucía Yenes (three). Advertisement INTERNATIONAL AGGIES There are seven Aggies with international backgrounds on the 2024-25 roster. Four of those seven hail from Spain (Fanta Gassama, Noah Garcia, Marta Guilera, Lucía Yenes). Hungary (Anna Csenyi), Netherlands (Loes Rozing) and Mali (Diarrah Sissoko) are also represented on this year's squad. Four of six Aggie newcomers are from overseas. 632 of the Aggies' 2,023 points this season have come courtesy of international members, accounting for over 32.3% of the team's production thus far. GUESS WHO'S BACK… BACK AGAIN Nearly every rotational guard and wing has returned in action in 2024-25, with 75.66% of the 2023-24 point production still on the roster. Additionally, the returning Aggies accounted for 85.14% of all assists and 97.71% of 3-pointers made (128 of 131) a season ago. Advertisement ONE LAST RIDE This iteration of the Aggies revolves around fifth-year legend Molly Kaiser. The Watauga, Texas, native exercised her extra year of eligibility that she earned from the NCAA's response to COVID-19, electing to spend her fifth and final campaign with the Crimson & White. In 2023-24, Kaiser led the Aggies in games played (31), games started (31), points (463), points per game (14.9), minutes per game (34.2), field goals made (165), free throws made (107) and free-throw percentage (86.3). Last season, Kaiser drove and buried a patented elbow jumper shot to give her 1,000 career points, with every bucket coming as a member of the Crimson & White. She became the 25th member of the 1,000-point club, and the first since Gia Pack, who played for the Aggies from 2016-2020. LAST TIME OUT… With the win against Sam Houston, NM State finished with an 11-3 record inside the Pan American Center – the team's best home record since the 2018-2019 season (11-2). Advertisement The NM State defense held the Bearkats to 0% from three-point range – the most attempts without a make for an opponent since 2/12/22 against UVU (0-11). Aggies led for 38:41 of the games' 40 minutes and contained a 14-4 fastbreak advantage over the Bearkats. SOME CUSA POSTSEASON HISTORY This is just the Aggies' second time competing in the CUSA tournament. Last year, NM State took on No. 3 FIU in the first round after finishing sixth in conference play. The Aggies defeated the Panthers, 63-58. The Aggies later faced the Liberty Flames in the semi-final round and fell, 63-58. UNDER ADAMS' LEADERSHIP Before finding her way to Las Cruces, Jody Adams had a successful career first at Murray State, then Wichita State. Advertisement While coaching the Racers, Adams was able to lead her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2007-08 season. After leaving Murray State, she was able to lead the Shockers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in Wichita, Kansas from 2013-2016. As a student-athlete, the Tennessee native competed in the NCAA tournament herself under Pat Summit and helped the Lady Vols win the NCAA National Championship in 1991. SCOUTING LA TECH Brooke Stoehr leads the Bulldogs as she enters her fifth season as head coach. Stoehr now sits third all-time in program wins behind Leon Barmore and Sonja Hogg after the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 191-150, including a 120-91 mark in Ruston. Advertisement During the 2021-22 season, Stoehr led the squad to a 21-12 record, winning the Conference USA West Division crown and earning an automatic birth in the WNIT. The Bulldogs also reached the CUSA finals for the first time since joining the conference after beating UAB and completing an 11-point fourth-quarter comeback over Middle Tennessee in the tournament semifinals. The leading scorer for this team is their outstanding Freshman, Paris Bradley, who currently averages 13.9 points per game. She also leads the team in FG percentage, assists, and steals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
