New Mexico

Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s win over New Mexico in the NCAA Tournament

Published

8 months ago

March 24, 2025

Five takeaways from Michigan State basketball’s win over New Mexico in the NCAA Tournament

For the second time in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Michigan State basketball took a major punch in the first half from a feisty opponent but was able to pull away in the second half. In the Round of 32, the Spartans beat New Mexico 71 to 63 after going into halftime down to the Lobos.

Below, you can see our three key takeaways from the game:

Tom Izzo adding Coen Carr to starting lineup in the second half was brilliant

After heading into halftime down two to New Mexico, the Spartans emerged in the second half with a different opening lineup. Tom Izzo made the decision to switch out Jaxon Kohler for Coen Carr at power forward. There was one very clear reason why he did this: Mustapha Amzil. Amzil went off for 12 points in the first half when being guarded by Kohler, so Izzo put one of his lockdown defenders, Coen Carr, in the game to shut him down. Amzil only scored two more points the rest of the game, and Coen Carr added eight points, six rebounds, and a massive block along with his defense.

MSU’s veteran guards lead the way

In a night where freshman phenom Jase Richardson struggled from the field, Michigan State was carried on the offensive end by their veteran guards Tre Holloman and Jaden Akins. Those two led the Spartans in scoring with a combined 30 points, hitting the Spartans’ only made three-pointers on the night.

Frankie Fidler was a hero for MSU in this win

Frankie Fidler might not be the 20-point-per-game scorer some hoped to see this year, but he has been a vital piece off the bench, routinely helping the Spartans find some steady scoring when things get tight. While he hasn’t shot the ball well this year, he has found a great role in the offense with his willingness to drive to the basket and draw contact. Fidler had 10 points in this one.

Carson Cooper might deserve a starting spot

No matter what, I know that Carson Cooper will end up getting minutes every game with the way MSU uses their center rotation, but I am starting to wonder if Cooper has earned a starting spot for the rest of the tournament. He is very active on defense, sets good screens on offense, and has been rebounding the ball really well (he had a team-high eight rebounds against New Mexico and nine rebounds against Bryant). It might be time to give him the honor of starting the game at center.

I am not worried about Jase Richardson

Jase Richardson had one of his worst games as a starter against New Mexico, only scoring six points on 1-for-10 shooting. However, I am not concerned about Richardson. For one, he scored 15 points against Bryant and looked unbelievable in the second half of that win. But I also think it was clear that New Mexico was overplaying Richardson, and playing him very physically, to try and make other Spartans beat them instead. Even as he struggled to make shots, Richardson played a huge role in putting New Mexico in foul trouble, as the Lobos ended up committing twice as many fouls as MSU.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Source link

Click to comment

New Mexico

Hooks leads New Mexico against New Orleans after 20-point showing

Published

18 hours ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

Hooks leads New Mexico against New Orleans after 20-point showing

New Orleans Privateers (0-2) at New Mexico Lobos (2-1)

Albuquerque, New Mexico; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: New Mexico takes on New Orleans after Destinee Hooks scored 20 points in New Mexico’s 71-64 victory over the North Carolina A&T Aggies.

New Mexico went 12-8 at home a season ago while going 18-14 overall. The Lobos averaged 70.4 points per game last season, 33.9 in the paint, 14.1 off of turnovers and 10.3 on fast breaks.

New Orleans went 5-24 overall with a 3-15 record on the road a season ago. The Privateers shot 35.1% from the field and 26.8% from 3-point range last season.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Source link

New Mexico

Man charged in double homicide told New Mexico deputies a cockroach told him to kill

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Man charged in double homicide told New Mexico deputies a cockroach told him to kill

A man is facing murder charges after allegedly admitting to deputies that he fatally shot two people inside a New Mexico home after receiving “an encrypted message in a cockroach” that he “needed to kill,” authorities say.

Alexis Hernandez, 25, was arrested and charged with two open counts of murder in connection with a Friday incident inside a southwest Albuquerque home, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.

Hernandez was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Saturday morning, and it is not immediately clear if he has retained a lawyer.

Authorities have not identified the men killed in the incident or the two young children who were also found inside the house at the time.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court, deputies responded to reports of gunfire in southwest Albuquerque just before 10:30 p.m. When deputies arrived, they were met at the front door by Hernandez, who “had a firearm on his waistband and a Marine Corps Sabre on his hip,” the arrest warrant said.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 27-year-old Alexis Najera Hernandez after deputies say he confessed to shooting and killing two men inside a home in Albuquerque, N.M.Crime Stoppers of New Mexico

Hernandez, who was immediately detained, told deputies he was in the Marines and “had to do what he had to do,” the warrant states. He then allegedly stated there were two dead bodies inside the residence.

Once inside the house, the warrant states, deputies found one dead man “with possible gunshot wounds” in the front of the house and a second man with apparent stab wounds in an attached apartment.

The two children who were found inside were safely removed from the residence, the arrest warrant states.

In an interview with deputies after he was taken into custody, Hernandez said that he knew the two slain men, one of whom was the owner of the property, according to the warrant. He then allegedly said he had believed the property owner was a friend who had been stalking him during the days leading up to the incident.

The warrant states Hernandez alleged the friend had placed cameras in the lights. Hernandez also told deputies that he was allegedly “hearing creepy voices coming from the vents” and “had been getting signs” that he had to end the property owner before he ended him.

Hernandez later allegedly told deputies that he also had received “an encrypted message in a cockroach” that he “needed to kill” the property owner, the warrant says. He added that the property owner allegedly did not like cockroaches.

The warrant states that Hernandez had previously purchased a Glock handgun, which he said he had for “protection.” Hernandez told deputies that on Friday the two men allegedly took him to the back room of the home and that he “was afraid for his life at this point.”

He said he shot the property owner in the head and the other in the kitchen, the warrant says. At one point, Hernandez allegedly told deputies, he had gone to his Honda Pilot to reload his gun before going back to each victim and shooting him again.

The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the details of the second man’s cause of death.

The warrant states Hernandez admitted that he did not know what to do after the attack, so he “stayed on scene and walked around.” He allegedly added that he knew about the two children at the house and that they saw him shoot the two men.

He added that “he was not going to take the kids or do anything to them,” the warrant says.

Source link