Following its fourth WAC match identify in the remaining five years, the New Mexico State ladies’ basketball crew will face Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA event in Ames, Iowa on Saturday at 3:30 p.M. (MT) and can be proven on ESPN 2.
“For us, it doesn’t, in reality, rely on, we’re excited, we’re equipped to play whoever, that’s a form of how this organization has been,” NM State head train Brooke Atkinson said in a press convention on Monday. “That next opponent is the most critical, and those youngsters are locked in and geared up to move.”
NM State enters the tournament as the No. 14 seed within the Chicago Region, which is a rank better than this system’s preceding time within the Big Dance (Aggies performed Stanford two seasons in the past as the No. 15 seed). This system’s 5th time in the tourney hasn’t begun to win an NCAA match recreation (0-5).
Atkinson has her group gambling some “no-quit” basketball proper now, gambling two video games in a row in the WAC event wherein both games went into as a minimum one additional time length. The Aggies enter the match using a 17-recreation win-streak – tied for its longest win-streak in application history. Also, with a universal document of 26-6, tying the faculty’s file for maximum wins in an unmarried season as properly.
Iowa State enters as the No. Three seed with a 25-8 overall file after dropping to Baylor in the ladies’ Big 12 championship game, with the aid of a score of 67-49. ISU does have some wonderful wins, one against the at-the-time No. 24 Miami, and some other once they beat No. 18 Texas two times, once lower back in early March and again in the Big 12 semi-finals. One aspect for certain is that NM State could have its fingers full looking to comprise an effective Cyclones group, who shoots the ball successfully (44 percentage at the yr). Yet, on paper, the team’s match-up similarly on the protective side, wherein both teams handiest allow their opponents to around sixty-three points a recreation.
ISU’s senior shield Bridget Carleton changed into named a 2d-crew All-American through ESPN this beyond Thursday. She leads the Big 12 with 21.4 factors, 8.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per sport. She also sits at the 2nd area in ISU history with 2,088 career points – additionally main her school in most points scored in an unmarried season with 706 thus far.
These numbers may petrify Atkinson and her crew as they may be hugely similar to NM State’s Brooke Salas’ stat line. Yet, the Aggies do have key starters who’ve revel in within the Big Dance, with Salas and junior Gia Pack being a part of the crew two seasons in the past, who narrowly changed into defeated by using Stanford.
Atkinson’s first time in the NCAA match as a head coach, in only her 2nd yr at the helms for the Aggies. NM State will maximum sincerely supply ISU a run for its money, as the Aggies will maintain to play its “resiliency, no-cease” style of game – seeking out its 27th win of the season.
