Aggies Stumble to No. 9 Oklahoma in Final Minutes of Play.
NORMAN, Oklahoma (KVIA) -- The New Mexico State Women's Basketball team (7-6, 0-0 CUSA) took on No. 9 host Oklahoma Sooners (11-1, 0-0 SEC) in the team's final non-conference matchup this season. Although the Aggies held the Sooners to their worst shooting performance this season (43% overall FG), they would eventually come up short 64-82.
Molly Kaiser played exceptionally well as she dropped 24 points to lead the Crimson and White in scoring yet again. She also tallied three assists, two steals, and a defensive board in her stellar showing.
Upon her return, Fanta Gassama scored in double figures to keep the score marginally close in the first half of the game. Gassama has missed the last three matchups due to injury and saw the floor today for the first time in three weeks. She showed an incredible defensive performance as she snagged three steals against the Sooners and cleaned the boards seven times on the opposite end of their basket.
Following the two Aggie leaders, Tylie Jones also shot impressively well for NM State, knocking down two 3-pointers from deep. She finished with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Leading the Sooners to topple over the Aggies was center Raegan Beers, who finished with 19 points for the Sooners. She earned a double-double over NM State, picking up 12 rebounds in the process. Three separate players from Oklahoma scored in double figures tonight.
OU scored the first basket against the Aggies, but would give up their lead shortly after Kaiser drained a 3-pointer off a one dribble pullup.
After an intensive battle between both teams in the first quarter, the Aggies would go on an 8-0 run against Oklahoma to take hold of an early lead to end the quarter.
Midway in the second quarter, OU began to find a groove as they went on a 6-0 run to take back the score, led by Beers and Verhulst. The two squads fought neck and neck in the remainder of the fight half with just a five point margin separating the two teams.
The Aggies came off hot in the beginning of the second half, finding a rhythm for themselves as Jones sank in two consecutive baskets to add to another 8-0 run against the Sooners. With a fastbreak floater coming from Kaiser, the Aggies were able to take the lead once more
Then late in the third quarter, Oklahoma went on a 10-0 run with some low paint buckets coming for Beers to extend the opponents margin over the Aggies.
Though NM State maintained their shooting rhythm, some late calls against the Aggies would prevent the team from closing out their comeback. In the final minutes of play, the host opponent scored 14 points, while the trailing Aggies could only finish with six points.
Numbers of Note
- Fanta Gassama led the team in rebounds (seven) after a three-game absence and finished with the team's highest field goal percentage today(60%).
- Tylie Jones notched 11 points, her second highest scoring performance this season.
- After another electrifying display, Molly Kaiser scored 24 points over No. 9 ranked Oklahoma.
- The Aggies held Oklahoma Sooners to their worst shooting performance this season (43.4%)
Up Next:
After finishing their non-conference season, the Aggies will now prepare to begin their regular season schedule as they remain on the road to face Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. The game is set to happen on Jan. 2nd at 5:30PM MST in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum and will be displayed on ESPN+.
For complete coverage of NM State Women's Basketball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWBB), Instagram (@NMStateWBB) and like us on Facebook (NM State Women's Basketball). You can also follow along with Aggie Women's Basketball via NMStateSports.com.
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