Aggies Hit Miami to Take on FIU Once Again.

MIAMI, Florida (KVIA) -- NM State travels to Miami, Florida and will face off with Florida International for a second time this season. The Aggies took the victory in the last matchup between the two opponents at the Pan American Center. 

HOW TO FOLLOW

Who: NMSU (12-12, 5-6 CUSA) at FIU (10-13, 6-6 CUSA) 

Where: Ocena Bank Convocation Center – Miami, Florida 

When: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. MST 

Live Stream: ESPN+ 

Live Statistics: StatBroadcast 

All-Time Series Record: FIU leads 5-3 

Last Meeting: NMSU won 74-50 (January 16, 2025) 

  

LAST TIME AGAINST FIU

NM State finished 11-for-12 from the free-throw line to post their second-highest free-throw percentage of the season at 91.7% at the time. For the 15th time this season and the 11th time in a row, Molly Kaiser scored double-digits as she finished with 28 points. This also marked the 10th time this year that she has eclipsed 20 points and the fifth time in the last six games. Jaila Harding posted a season-high 18 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. NM State held the Panthers to their second-lowest point total (50) of the season. 

THE PRODIGY 

Molly Kaiser has spent all five seasons with the Crimson & White, making her the longest-tenured Aggie on the 2024-25 roster. The Watauga, Texas, native has over 1,700 points across her career and has moved into fifth all-time in scoring for the Aggies in program history. With 1,749 points, she’s also currently the active leader in career points among CUSA players. She now sits just 20 points shy of moving into fourth on the Aggies all-time scoring list.

Last week, Kaiser finished against UTEP with a 30 point effert to give the Aggies the second largest road victory against the Miners in school history.

Two weeks ago, Kaiser was named Conference USA Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after dropping 31 points against Liberty. This marked the fourth CUSA weekly award for Kaiser, which equals the most by an Aggie in program history. This season, Kaiser has also hauled in two NCAA Starting Five accolades, which recognizes the nation’s top five performers each week.

Kaiser ties for seventh in the nation in points per game (22.0) and tenth in total points (527). Including her 30-point outing against UTEP last week, Kaiser is also responsible for the five highest scoring performances in league play this season. Molly was one of 22 Division I players to score 30 or more points in a game last week. Her 85.7% from the floor was also tied for fourth best in a single game among all D-I players with 10 or more makes last week.

 

FANTA-STIC

Her six double-doubles thus far marks the first time that an Aggie has recorded five or more double-doubles in a single season since Bigue Sarr tallied 12 double-doubles in the 2021-22 season. 

She currently sits at 18th in the nation and second in CUSA in defensive rebounds per game (7.5).

D-UP

At the moment, NM State ranks third in the conference in steals per game (9.9), which has led their opponents into 477 total turnovers. This has carried over in league play as the Aggies currently rank third in turnovers forced per game (21.4) against CUSA opponents.

FROM DOWNTOWN

Entering Thursday, the Aggies rank second in 3-point percentage in CUSA play, shooting 32.0%. This mark is led by Jaila Harding who is currently shooting an impressive 43.1% from the perimeter. 

HOT IN HUNTSVILLE

NM State shot 5-of-9 from the perimeter against Sam Houston on Jan. 2 which marks the highest 3-point percentage (.556) by any CUSA team in conference play this season. Molly Kaiser led the charge by going a perfect 2-for-2 on her way to scoring a game-high 28 points.

FRESH FISH 

Madi Gewirtz picked up her second Conference USA Freshman of the Week award this past week. Previously, Madi Gewirtz became the first and only player in Aggie program history to earn the honor. Two weeks ago, she scored 17 points over Western Kentucky and picked up four defensive boards along with two assists to serve as a catalyst in the Aggies’ win over the Hilltoppers.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP 

The Aggies are led by 11 upperclassmen, including nine seniors. Molly Kaiser and Diarrah Sissoko are each in their fifth season of collegiate basketball, headlining a 15-person roster that has 50 combined seasons of experience, including 32 at NM State. Four Aggies are on at least their third season in the program: Molly Kaiser (five), Sylena Peterson (four), Sianny Sanchez-Oliver (four) and Lucía Yenes (three). 

INTERNATIONAL AGGIES 

There are seven Aggies with international backgrounds on the 2024-25 roster. Four of those seven hail from Spain (Fanta Gassama, Noah Garcia, Marta Guilera, Lucía Yenes). Hungary (Anna Csenyi), Netherlands (Loes Rozing) and Mali (Diarrah Sissoko) are also represented on this year’s squad. Four of six Aggie newcomers are from overseas. 499 of the Aggies’ 1,573 points this season have come courtesy of international members, accounting for over 32.3% of the team’s production thus far. 

GUESS WHO’S BACK… BACK AGAIN

Nearly every rotational guard and wing has returned in action in 2024-25, with 75.66% of the 2023-24 point production still on the roster. Additionally, the returning Aggies accounted for 85.14% of all assists and 97.71% of 3-pointers made (128 of 131) a season ago. 

ONE LAST RIDE

This iteration of the Aggies revolves around fifth-year legend Molly Kaiser. The Watauga, Texas, native exercised her extra year of eligibility that she earned from the NCAA’s response to COVID-19, electing to spend her fifth and final campaign with the Crimson & White. In 2023-24, Kaiser led the Aggies in games played (31), games started (31), points (463), points per game (14.9), minutes per game (34.2), field goals made (165), free throws made (107) and free-throw percentage (86.3). 

Last season, Kaiser drove and buried a patented elbow jumper shot to give her 1,000 career points, with every bucket coming as a member of the Crimson & White. She became the 25th member of the 1,000-point club, and the first since Gia Pack, who played for the Aggies from 2016-2020. 

LAST TIME OUT...

Molly Kaiser finished with 16 points in the first half of play and 25 overall against the Lady Flames. With this performance, she was just three points shy from setting the scoring record in Liberty Arena, which is currently held by Eastern Kentucky’s Antwainette Walker 28-point performance on Feb. 23, 2023.

Freshman, Madi Gewirtz picked up a career high of seven rebounds (one offensive, six defensive) in a single game while leading the team in boards simultaneously.

NM State held the Flames to 25% worse from deep than the last time the two teams faced off.

SCOUTING FIU

Leading the Panthers in her fifth consecutive season as head coach is Jesyka Burks-Wiley. Last season, She helped guide FIU to a third place finish in the conference, and tied for the second best record alongside Liberty. Burks-Wiley was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for her immaculate team showing.

FIU currently consists of the Preseason Player of the Year, Mya Kone, who has been out most of this season. The team sits at 5th, one spot above NM State in the standings.

Leading the Panthers in scoring this season thus far is Parris Atkins who averages 14.2 points per game and has tallied 40 steals to this point of the season.

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.

##NM State##