NMSU Women’s Hoops Cruises Past UTRGV, Finishes First Half of WAC Play 7-0

EDINBURG, Texas – Staunch defense and solid shooting from Sasha Weber and Brianna Freeman saw the NM State women’s basketball team cruise past UT Rio Grande Valley, 68-57, Saturday night at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

Tonight’s victory moved the Aggies to 7-0 in Western Athletic Conference play gave them a two-game lead over UTRGV league standings.

Weber finished the night with a game-high 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, all from behind the arc, with five rebounds, three steals and three assists. Freeman added 17 points of her own on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor to go with four rebounds and a block, which gave her sole possession of eighth-place in the NM State all-time blocks list (76).

“I felt the kids played great defense,” head women’s basketball coach Mark Trakh said. “They handled a very hostile crowd tonight very well. I thought Brianna was the player of the game, missing only one shot on the night for us. Sasha also stepped up big for us tonight with her 18 points.”

The win also gave NM State its ninth-straight victory and moved them to 8-0 in the month of January, the most ever for the month of January in program history.

“I think Larry Tidwell has done a great job with the program,” Trakh said of his counterpart from UTRGV after the win.

The Aggies (18-3, 7-0) spread the ball around well in the first quarter thanks to their floor general, Shanice Davis, who dished out three of her seven assists in that frame to give NM State an 18-11 advantage.

The second quarter was where Freeman did most of her damage, knocking down four of her eight shots for eight points. UTRGV (13-9, 5-2 WAC) made it 30-23 with 29 seconds left in the half when Shawnte’ Goff blazed down the court for a layup after the steal. However, Tamera William found Weber on the corner for a 3-pointer and gave NM State the 33-23 lead at halftime.

New Mexico State continued to shoot better as the night went on, knocking down 54.5-percent of its shot in the second half to its 40-percent in the first half.

After going up 46-30 on another Weber 3-pointer, the Vaqueros went on a quick 6-0 to close it back to 46-36 before buckets from Freeman and Zaire Williams made it a 15-point game with 10 minutes remaining.

The Aggies took its largest lead of the game in the fourth quarter, 55-38, at the 7:34 mark when Moriah Mack found Freeman on the short corner. She would make it a 17-point lead once again on the next possession after UTRGV scored in between those baskets.

From that point on the Aggies cruised the rest of the way en route to their 68-57 victory.

Trakh also praised Mack and William on their great defensive efforts tonight. The two teamed up to force 23 Vaquero turnovers, which led to 24 points.

Mack ended her night with eight points, eight boards, four assists and a steal while William chipped in with eight points and four assists.

Tyler Ellis also gave the Aggies great minutes in the post as the junior brought down five boards.

NM State will have a short week as they get back on the road next Thursday for a two-game swing to start the second-half of conference play. Up first will be Grand Canyon on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. (MT). The Aggies will then trek up to Orem, Utah, for a 3 p.m. tilt against Utah Valley on Saturday, Feb. 6.

POSTGAME NOTES: NM State is now 10-1 against UT Rio Grande Valley and 3-1 when playing on the road…This is the fourth time in seven league games where NM State has shot over 40-percent…NM State only shot above 40-percent six times in 14 non-conference games…NM State held a slim 8-6 advantage in steals over UTRGV to make it 16-0 when the Aggies have more steals than their opponents…it’s also the 13th-straight game NM State has won when it out-shoots its opponents…The Aggies have also won 11-straight when they have the lead heading into the fourth quarter, and 17-1 on the year…UTRGV’s 57 points is the third time in WAC play that NM State has held its opponents under 60…Saturday night was the second-straight game where NM State had 19 assists…It’s also the second time in three games where the Aggies have forced 20-plus turnovers.