Aggies Earn First-Ever CUSA Win at Western Kentucky
BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky (KVIA) -- 201 days ago, New Mexico State left the WAC for Conference USA. On Thursday night, the Women’s Basketball program earned its first league win, knocking off Western Kentucky (3-0), 50-44.
NM State snapped a five-game losing streak to improve to 1-2 in conference play and 7-9 overall. While the Lady Toppers fell to 12-7 and 3-1 in CUSA.
NM State held the home team to just 44 points on 52 field goal attempts and forced 19 WKU turnovers. Jaila Harding and Molly Kaiser were the leading scorers once again, pouring in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
First Quarter
Fanta Gassama made her first start for the Crimson & White on Thursday. In the first 10 minutes of action, she recorded an efficient six points and hauled in a rebound. In the backcourt, Jaila Harding and Sylena Peterson each sank a 3-pointer to help secure a 17-13 advantage heading into the second quarter. The Aggies last won a first quarter against Utah Valley 33 days prior, and entered with a perfect 6-0 record when holding the lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
NM State only lost one quarter, as WKU scored 12 to the Aggies’ nine in the second frame. There were only three made shots split between three different Aggies, as the road team went seven minutes and 18 seconds without a made field goal. Harding, Kaiser and Gassama all recorded six points in the first half, leading the road team to a slim 26-25 advantage at the midway point despite the slow pace.
Third Quarter
WKU took its final lead of the evening early in the second half. The Lady Toppers 27-26 advantage lasted just 52 seconds before Molly Kaiser and Jaila Harding recorded back-to-back 3-pointers in what was a crucial 6-0 run for the Aggies. NM State would never relinquish the lead, but the home team kept it close, as the lead only swelled by one. The Aggies, led by four third-quarter points from Ene Adams, maintained a 36-34 edge heading into the final frame.
Fourth Quarter
The Aggies made the most of their possessions down the stretch, earning 11 trips to the free throw line in the final 10 minutes, converting on nine of them. After Fanta Gassama converted a layup through a whistle and converted the free throw, the Aggies took a seven-point lead with just over six minutes remaining. WKU later responded with a 5-0 run to cut the lead to one, trailing 45-44 with 130 seconds remaining. While the road team finished the game without a field goal over the final six minutes and 15 seconds, they hit five free throws to close out the game. NM State walked out of E.A. Diddle Arena with a 50-44 win, snapping a five-game losing streak and earning a CUSA win for the first time ever.
Head Coach Jody Adams, on the win: “I just thought we were just very tough defensively. We were very focused from quarter to quarter. We didn’t have much of a lapse. I think Sianny [Sanchez-Oliver]’s presence on defense and how she attached to the point guard just really affected them. We limited their possessions offensively. They’re a scoring team. I thought we did a really good job of staying to the game plan.”
Head Coach Jody Adams, on the upcoming matchup with Middle Tennessee: “I think we have a very talented team. We saw different players play well and affect the game in different ways. Still, there were some little easy things we could do better; taking care of the ball and making open shots. We should have some wind in our sails now. I’m very happy for the team. To be able to come out, connect the dots and make history, just makes me really proud of them.”
Up Next
The Aggies won’t have to travel far for their next road game. In under 48 hours, the Aggies will tip off against Middle Tennessee from Murfreesboro. The Blue Raiders are 3-0 in CUSA and have won five of six contests at home. Due to inclement weather anticipated Saturday night, the matchup was recently moved to 1:00 PM MT (2:00 CT). The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via StatBroadcast.
