Jaelen House, No. 25 UNM Race Away From San Jose State

Jaelen House

Scoring 18 points, including 14 in the second half and two crucial 3-pointers in a pivotal surge, Jaelen House led No. 25 New Mexico to a 95-75 win against host San Jose State on Wednesday night.

New Mexico’s 20-point advantage was trimmed by San Jose State to 75-66 with 6:12 remaining before House’s consecutive 3-pointers concluded an 8-0 run, allowing New Mexico to seize control.

On a four-game winning streak in conference games, the Lobos (17-3, 5-2 Mountain West) have posted double-digit victories in all. The last time such an achievement occurred was in the 2011-12 season.

Donovan Dent and Jamal Mashburn Jr. each netted 17 points, while JT Toppin ended with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Nelly Junior Joseph registered 10 points for New Mexico.

Facing their fifth loss in six games, San Jose State (8-11, 1-5) was paced by Myron Amey Jr.‘s 24 points and nine rebounds. Tibert Gorener contributed 12 points, and Diogo Seixas added 10.

New Mexico’s first-half lead reached 16 points before they entered halftime with a 43-32 advantage. A 13-3 run, culminating in House’s 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining in the half, extended the Lobos’ lead to 43-27.

However, with a layup by Seixas and a halftime buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Amey, San Jose State narrowed the margin to 11.

During the second half, a dunk by Amey at the 12:43 mark brought the Spartans within 61-52. New Mexico then increased their advantage to 75-60 with 7:47 remaining, following four consecutive successful free throws by Joseph and Mustapha Amzil.

San Jose State responded with six unanswered points, reducing the deficit to 75-66 with 6:12 left before Toppin’s layup halted New Mexico’s field-goal drought at 5:36 remaining.

The Lobos had not made a shot from the field since 9:41 left until Toppin’s basket. House subsequently nailed back-to-back 3-pointers, amplifying New Mexico’s lead to 83-66 with 4:39 remaining.

Of the 15 attempts from the field, House made 6, with 4 of those arriving in the second half. After halftime, he successfully converted 3 of 4 attempts from beyond the arc.

Mashburn contributed 10 points in the second half.

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    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

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    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

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    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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