NMSU balanced offense secures home victory over WKU

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Back in action from the confines of the Pan American Center for the second time this weekend, NM State played host to the Western Kentucky Lady Toppers. A tight contest throughout, the Aggies would ride a combined 56 points (6-for-12 from 3-point range) from their four double-digit scorers to take a 64-61 victory. With the win, the Aggies improve to 5-5 in CUSA action and 11-13 overall.

As a team, the Aggies held the Lady Toppers to 29% from 3-point range, and 43% from the field while forcing 20 turnovers. In stark contrast to their last game against MTSU, the Aggies led for over 38 minutes in today's matchup.

First Quarter

After collecting the opening tip, Jaila Harding sank a triple on the Aggie's first possession, giving NM State a quick lead. Later, Loes Rozing's fourth 3-pointer of the season put the Crimson & White up 8-2 early in the contest. The Lady Toppers battled back to make it a one-point game (8-7) before an extended scoring drought for both teams. With the shot clock winding down, Tylie Jones found a driving Ene Adams in the paint to snap the NM State scoreless streak and increase the lead to 12-8. Jaila Harding would get on the board with her second 3-pointer of the afternoon, making the score 15-8 heading into the second stanza. 

Second Quarter

The Lady Toppers got on the board first in the second quarter, though Harding would respond in kind with her third 3-pointer in just 11 minutes of action. Tylie Jones later recorded her first basket of the contest to make it 20-15 in favor of the Aggies with 5:51 remaining. Jones would act as a catalyst for a stagnant NM State offense in quarter number two, finishing with nine points, two rebounds and an assist in the second frame, including a buzzer-beating triple to extend the Aggie lead 30-26 heading into the break.  

3-point shooting was the name of the game for the Aggies in the first half, connecting on five of their 10 total attempts, while holding the Lady Toppers to just 33% from beyond the arc. The Aggies held a slight advantage in rebounds (14-11) and second chance points (2-0). 

Third Quarter

Molly Kaiser got on the board early in half two, knocking down a patented mid-range jumper after tallying just two points in the opening 20 minutes of action. Western Kentucky continued to hang around, shrinking the home lead to one before Fanta Gassama spun off her defender and finished in the lane. Tylie Jones sank her sixth free throws of the contest to give the Aggies a five-point edge (36-31) with four and a half minutes remaining in the third. Converting just four of 25 3-point attempts in conference action, Molly Kaiser sank a three from the left corner to give NM State their largest lead in half number two. The senior from Watauga, Texas would finish the third quarter with nine points. Jaila Harding's fourth 3-pointer of the game would be the last bucket of the third for the Aggies, heading into the fourth quarter with a 48-39 advantage. 

Fourth Quarter

Sylena Peterson found a cutting Ene Adams in the lane for the Aggies first points in the final frame, giving them their largest lead of the afternoon (50-40). Tylie Jones would continue her impressive performance on Saturday afternoon, putting in a layup to give her 15 or more points for just the second time in the Crimson & White, making it a 52-40 contest with 8:16 to go. Comfortably leading for most of the final frame, the Lady Toppers made it a close contest down the stretch, putting up a two-point shot with two seconds on the game clock to make it a 62-61. Jaila Harding would close her night by sinking a pair of free-throw attempts to put the game out of reach, and give NM State a 64-61 win.

Numbers of Note

• Tylie Jones reached double digits for the fifth time this season finishing with 15 points. The junior from Idaho connected would also record her Division I-high with three assists and six made free-throws (6-8). 
• The Aggies finished the night going 17-for-22 from the free-throw line, a 77.3% clip. This is the fifth-best percentage from the charity stripe of the season and best since converting at an 82.4% clip the last time the Aggies and Lady Toppers played on Jan. 18.
• Tallying just seven turnovers in the first half, Western Kentucky would finish the night with 20, including nine in the fourth quarter. This is the most forced turnovers for the Aggies since pressuring Big West member UC Irvine into 21 giveaways in a 61-55 NM State win on December 5th, and the second-straight contest WKU has had 20 or more turnovers. 
• Ene Adams sunk four of her six free throw attempts for the fifth time this season. In these contests, the Aggies boast a 4-1 record. 

Junior forward Tylie Jones, on the performance: "We worked really well together, it was smooth offensively. The team set each other up to get the best shots available. We're excited as a team to keep working hard. Every day in practice we want to get one percent better. Coach [Adams] is big about that and we're all in it together."

Up Next

NM State heads back on the road next week for a pair of games against Sam Houston (Thursday, Feb. 22) and Louisiana Tech (Feb. 24). The Aggies secured home wins against the pair of teams earlier in the season, and look to gain ground in the CUSA standings ahead of the CUSA Tournament, held Mar. 12-16 in Huntsville, Alabama. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com.

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