NM State cruises to 33-point victory as every Aggie scores in lone exhibition

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- For the first time in 227 days, NM State Women’s Basketball won in front of fans. The Aggies returned to action with an exhibition on Sunday against the Aggies of Cameron University. The home team struggled early, trailing by three after 10 minutes. A massive run followed, however, as the Crimson & White ran away with a 33-point win as all 13 Aggies scored. NM State now awaits its regular-season opener on Monday, Nov. 4 at UC Irvine. 

FIRST QUARTER

The Aggies found their way onto the scoreboard first as Jaila Harding knocked down a wide-open three-pointer from the left wing on the opening possession for the Crimson and White. Two possessions later, Harding would hit her second three of the quarter to help the Aggies jump out to a 6-2 lead.

Cameron would eventually flash its own sharpshooting as it knocked down a trio of three-pointers to take a 13-7 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter.

Returner Lucia Yenes then impacted the game on both ends as she rejected a shot before finding Diarrah Sissoko who sprinted the length of the court to put in the fastbreak layup that pulled the Aggies back within three.

Later, Fanta Gassama stuffed a shot by Cameron’s Mercedes Mancha as the clock wound down on the first quarter, sending the game into the second quarter with NM State trailing 17-14. 

SECOND QUARTER

After a slow start, NM State came out with a different level of intensity in the second period which led to a quick 13-0 scoring run across the first two minutes and 20 seconds. This stretch of play was capped off by seven straight points from Yenes - putting the Aggies in front 27-17.

Later, senior transfer Noah Garcia stretched the Aggie lead to 11 points with a three from the left wing as she was left open following a pick-and-roll with Sianny Sanchez-Oliver who tallied the assist on the play. A couple of minutes later, senior leader Molly Kaiser would extend the lead to 15 points as she hauled in a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast to register the layup. Near the end of the half, Jaila Harding brought the crowd to its feet with an impressive and-one on a fastbreak created by Kaiser.

The Aggies would eventually enter the locker room at halftime with a 16-point lead in hand. During the first half, NM State held Cameron to just 30% shooting from the floor while connecting on 44% of its own shot attempts. The Aggies also forced 17 turnovers which was converted into 12 points.

NM State’s size advantage was apparent on the floor and in the box score as the home Aggies outscored visiting Aggies 22-4 in the paint across the first two quarters.

THIRD QUARTER

The home team lived at the line to start the second half. Six different Aggies made their way to the charity stripe in the frame, all of which converted on at least one attempt. As a unit, NM State combined to go 15-for-17 at the free-throw line in the third quarter. Last year, the squad only surpassed 15 made free throws in a game four times. Loes Rozing was the only Aggie to tally multiple made field goals in the stanza, leading the way with four points and two rebounds. For the quarter, Cameron was outscored 26-13, wrapping up a 20-minute stretch in which the home side put up 51 points to its 19. 

FOURTH QUARTER

Sianny Sanchez-Oliver (2-for-2) and Sylena Peterson (1-for-1) highlighted the final stanza with three electric threes, pouring into an expanding lead that swelled to 36 late in the contest. Before that point, Imani Warren capped off an 8-0 run with a fast-break layup to put a bow on her 6-point, 2-rebound performance. NM State ran away with the game, winning by a final score of 87-54.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

• NM State forced 29 turnovers from the visitors; a mark that ranks higher than any game last season.
• The home team’s 27 attempted free throws would rank second-highest of all contests from last season.
• On those 27 attempts, NM State sank 23; more than any game last season. 
• The Crimson & White’s 85.2 free-throw percentage would have ranked third-highest from all games last season. 
• NM State recorded eight or more made threes just twice last season, but did so on 19 attempts on Sunday. 
• Lucía Yenes recorded nine efficient points and three rebounds in just seven minutes. The junior forward was perfect from the floor, going 4-for-4 from the field and sinking her only attempted 3-pointer.
• NM State only surpassed 87 points one time last season (versus Western NM; Dec. 12, 2023)

FROM THE FLOOR 

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the win: “It was nice to play a lot of different combinations and get our entire bench involved. I think everybody showed up in some way, just showing exactly what they can be. They showed what they need to be each and every day we step on this floor. I would like us to start a little better than we did and carry it on throughout the entire game. We’re just looking to build that consistency at this point in the year.”

Senior guard Jaila Harding, on returning to action: “It felt great to be back out on the floor. We’ve been working really hard and putting everything together. This year’s team has a lot of leadership and we respond really well to one another. We’re looking forward to playing with more speed and intensity this season, especially with the new pieces we have.”

UP NEXT

The regular season is on the horizon. NM State will travel west for the second half of its home-and-home series with UC Irvine. Last year, the Anteaters played in the Pan American Center on Dec. 5, 2023. The Crimson & White will officially open the third season of the Jody Adams era on Monday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 PM MT. The matchup between the Aggies and Anteaters will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com.