New Mexico State powers past Pacific in first round of WNIT, 54-49

STOCKTON, California - The NM State women's basketball team rallied from a slow first half to defeat Pacific 54-49 on the road in the First Round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

The Thursday night victory at the Alex G. Spanos Center was powered by a dominant third-quarter performance that turned the game in the Aggies' favor. 

Trailing 27-16 at halftime, NM State (18-15, 10-8 CUSA) stormed back with an impressive 25-point third quarter, flipping the script and seizing control of the contest.

The Aggies held Pacific (15-19, 9-11 WCC) to just seven points in the third frame, erasing the deficit and building momentum heading into the final period.

Sylena Peterson led the Aggies with 13 points, adding two assists and two steals to her standout performance.

Fanta Gassama delivered a powerful presence in the paint, finishing with a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds), including four critical offensive boards.

Jaila Harding contributed 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the second half.

After falling behind early, four points from Fanta Gassama fueled a 9-0 run that gave the Aggies a 9-4 lead with 4:50 remaining in the first period.

Unfortunately, NM State would struggle to convert on the offensive end as its next points wouldn’t come until the 6:15 mark of the second quarter when Lucia Yenes knocked down a pair of free throws.

This drought would allow Pacific to build a comfortable lead that eventually reached as much as 11 points in the first half.

With the absence of leading scorer Molly Kaiser, guard Sianny Sanchez-Oliver was the most aggressive Aggie in the first half as she finished the first 20 minutes with five points to pace the Aggies.

In total, five different Aggies tallied points in the first half. The Aggies did manage to outrebound the Tigers 22-20 during the first two quarters.

This effort on the glass was guided by Gassama who notched seven first-half boards to go along with her four points.

After shooting just 19.4% in the first half, the third quarter proved to be the turning point.

NM State erupted with a 25-point performance, led by Sylena Peterson and Jaila Harding.

Peterson hit crucial baskets, while Harding nailed two clutch three-pointers to help the Aggies storm back.

NM State's defense clamped down, holding Pacific to just seven points while allowing the Aggies to take a 41-34 lead by the end of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Pacific rallied and eventually took hold of a 44-43 lead with 5:32 remaining.

However, the Aggies remained resilient and a Fanta Gassama layup with under 30 seconds left helped the Aggies maintain their advantage.

NM State's defense came through once again, forcing critical turnovers and holding Pacific to just 15 points in the final frame to secure the 54-49 victory.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

• The win marks the Aggies’ first-ever win in the WNIT postseason tournament and represents the program’s third postseason win under the guidance of Head Coach Jody Adams.
• With just 54 points, this marks the Aggies' fewest point total in a win this season. However, the NM State defense limited Pacific to just 49 points to mark the seventh time this season that an Aggie opponent failed to reach 50 points.
• NM State leaned on its defensive pressure and forced the Tigers into 21 turnovers which marks the 12th time this year that the Aggies forced 20 or more turnovers.
• Sylena Peterson produced her eighth double-digit scoring effort of the season and finished as the Aggies’ leading scorer for the first time this season.
• Fanta Gassama logged her ninth double-double of the season and hauled in double-digit rebounds for the 14th this year.
• Pacific attempted just nine free throws which marks the fewest by an Aggie opponent this season.
• Imani Warren played a key role defensively as she came away with a career-best five steals. This also matches the most steals by an individual Aggie in a single game this season.
• Loes Rozing recorded a career-high four assists during her 20 minutes of action.

UP NEXT

The victory over the Tigers propels the Aggies into the second round of the WNIT where they will collide with North Dakota State on Monday, March 24.

The Aggies and Bison will meet at the Scheels Center in Fargo, N.D. and tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. MDT.

North Dakota State will enter the game with a 19-11 overall record, including an 11-5 mark against the Summit Conference.

This will serve as NDSU’s first game in the WNIT as they were one of 16 programs to earn a bye to the second round.