Aggies fall on senior day

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Life moves fast. After opening the season at home versus Arizona on Nov. 6, NM State played its last game in front of its home fans on Saturday. For Senior Day, the Aggies welcomed Jax State (11-16, 6-9) in a matchup between first-year members of CUSA. In front of their largest home crowd of the season (2,625), the Aggies failed to produce much offensive rhythm, falling 60-51. With the loss, NM State drops to 11-17, and 5-10 in CUSA action with one game remaining ahead of the CUSA Tournament, held Mar. 12-16 at VBC Propst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama.

Molly Kaiser paced the team in scoring, putting in 17 points, including 11 in the second half. Fellow senior Ene Adams added eight points and nine rebounds. As a team NM State shot just 36% from the field (20-55) and 3-for-11 from beyond the arc. 

First Quarter

The Aggies secured the opening tip, but it was the road team that took the early lead. In less than two and a half minutes, the Crimson & White collected four team fouls, including two on star senior guard Molly Kaiser. Fanta Gassama answered with four quick points, tying the game 8-8 at the media timeout. Kaiser re-entered midway through the frame, pouring in four straight Aggie points to knot it back up at 12 apiece. With the shot clock winding down, Sianny Sanchez drove baseline and went for an up-and-under layup, tying the game at 14 apiece as time expired.

Second Quarter

Molly Kaiser opened quarter two with her second made jumper, giving NM State their largest lead of the afternoon. The game became a back-and-forth affair through much of the second stanza, including Jaila Harding's first made 3-pointer of the contest. However, the Gamecocks would go on an 8-2 run to close the frame, including a pair of free-throws with 0.1 seconds remaining. Jax State took a 31-27 lead into the locker room. At the break, the Aggies held the rebounding edge (15-12), but trailed Jacksonville State in points off turnovers (16-0), second chance points (5-0) and fast break points (7-0). 

Third Quarter

Jacksonville State continued their scoring streak in half two, handing the Aggies their largest deficit of the afternoon, 37-27. Holding the Gamecocks scoreless for over three minutes, the Aggies fittingly turned to their seniors to keep them in the game, with Molly Kaiser and Ene Adams scoring all ten points in the frame for the Crimson & White. Heading into the final quarter, NM State faced a 42-37 disadvantage. 

Fourth Quarter

Tylie Jones scored her first basket of the game with 8:01 remaining in the frame, shrinking the Jacksonville State lead to five, but that would prove to be the smallest of the fourth. A crucial stretch in the fourth proved to be the difference, as the Gamecocks put up a 10-2 run during the middle of the fourth, making it 54-41 with 4:54 remaining. A 7-0 burst with points from Jaila Harding, Molly Kaiser and Sianny Sanchez brought the Crimson & White within six, but the deficit was too much to overcome. As the final buzzer sounded, the Aggies fell by a final score of 60-51.

With the loss, NM State drops to 11-17, and 5-10 in CUSA action with one game remaining. 

Numbers of Note

• Molly Kaiser finished with 17 points, marking her 23rd game with ten or more points this season. The Watauga, Texas native has posted double digits in 18 of the last 21 contests, including four performances of 20+ points. She has five games with 20 or more points this season. 
• Ene Adams finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Her nine rebounds are her most since pulling down a career-high 12 in last month's 66-59 win over UTEP. 
• Femme Masudi Sikuzani played five minutes to end her NM State career, pulling down a pair of offensive rebounds. 
• Jax State won the turnover battle 18-8. They also had 11 steals to NM State's two, and won the bench points battle 33-8. 

Up Next

The Aggies will play one final regular-season contest on Saturday, Mar. 9. NM State will hit the road for a matchup at FIU, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 PM MT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com. Following the conclusion of their regular season, the Aggies will head to Huntsville, Alabama, for the CUSA Basketball Tournament, held Mar. 12-16 from VBC Propst Arena.  

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