NMSU’s strong start falters in loss at Jax State, 57-46
JACKSONVILLE, Alabama - NM State (7-12, 3-4 CUSA) returned to the hardwood on Thursday night, falling to Jacksonville State (10-8, 4-2 CUSA) 57-46 at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
After scoring at a 53.8% clip from the field in the opening ten minutes, the Aggies shot just 30.2% in the final three quarters of the contest.
Morane Dossou (12 points, 14 rebounds) recorded her second consecutive double-double, while Lucía Yenes and Imani Warren (11 points) joined her to lead the team in scoring.
Morane Dossou took control of the opening tip for the Aggies, putting in the first basket of the contest.
Loes Rozing buried a 3-pointer from the right corner, though the Gamecocks took their first lead of the contest following back-to-back makes from beyond the arc (8-7). Starting her sixth consecutive contest, Emma Christiano knocked in NM State’s second triple of the night, reclaiming the lead with 4:44 remaining in the first.
Christiano, Lucía Yenes and Dossou’s made baskets ended the quarter on a 6-0 Crimson & White run, sending the visiting Aggies into the second quarter ahead 16-13.
After shooting 53.8% from the field in the first stanza, the Aggies could not find the same rhythm in the second quarter, making just two field goals. Entering off the bench, Senoj Jones sank her first attempt in the game on Thursday, marking the first made basket in the frame for NM State with 4:55 remaining. A 9-0 scoring burst by the home side gave the Gamecocks their largest lead of the opening 20 minutes (25-18).
Trailing 27-20 at the half, NM State held the edge in rebounds (19-18) and paint points (14-10), though faced a deficit in 3-point scoring (15-6) and free throw attempts (0-4).
While the NM State offense played better in the third quarter, the Gamecocks were able to tally multiple extended scoring streaks in the frame, including a 15-2 run to extend their lead to its largest of the contest (48-26).
Imani Warren, Lucía Yenes and Morane Dossou tallied all 16 NM State points in the fourth quarter, whittling the Jax State lead to just eight (54-46) and holding the Gamecocks without a made field goal in the final seven minutes, though it was not enough as the Aggies fell by a final score of 57-46.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- Morane Dossou finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, all in the last nine games. The junior forward also added two assists, along with four blocks, the most by an Aggie in a single game this season.
- Lucía Yenes finished with 13 points, her team-leading 14th game in double figures this year.
- Imani Warren finished with 11 points on Thursday, posting her 13th game of 10 or more points this season and her eighth such instance in the previous 10 contests.
- Warren also added four steals, tying her season high.
- Recording just 13 giveaways on Thursday night, the Aggies tied their season-low (Jan. 2, Liberty).
- Finishing with six blocks as a team, this matched NM State’s season high for the third time in 2025-26. Morane Dossou’s career-best four-block night is the most by an Aggie since Dec. 21, 2018, when Brooke Salas tied the program record with 11 rejections against Alcorn State.
- NM State notched just two points from bench scoring against Jax State, going 1-for-9 as a collective.
QUOTABLES
Imani Warren, following the contest in Jacksonville: “Offensively, our execution wasn’t good. We took some tough shots, didn’t knock down open ones and that hurt us. They played with more fight, aggression and effort, and they made more shots. That’s the difference, and that’s something we have to fix. We didn’t bring the urgency we needed, and that’s on all of us.”
Morane Dossou, after the game: “We didn’t play to our standard today. Our shooting and execution weren’t where they should be. We absolutely have to execute better, finish possessions and be more disciplined on both ends. This loss is on us, and it shows us what we need to clean up moving forward.”
Head Coach Jody Adams, following Thursday’s matchup: “We knew it was going to be a battle with Jax State, it always is. I thought we had great practices leading up to today, but I have to give the credit to Jax State for executing when it was hard.
Our bench has been important in our wins and we really need them to be ready and to produce, which we know they can.
We play in a tough league. It takes mental toughness to win, especially on the road.”
