NMSU hands Missouri State first loss in CUSA play, 63-56
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - Nothing easy. NM State (7-11, 3-3 CUSA) returned to the home floor on Saturday afternoon, hosting Missouri State (12-6, 4-1 CUSA) at the Pan American Center.
The Aggies' stifling defense held the Lady Bears to just 36% from the field and 1-for-9 from 3-point range, notching a 63-56 win in Las Cruces to give Missouri State its first loss in conference play.
The win marked Head Coach Jody Adams’ 250th career victory, led by a trio of Aggies finishing in double figures, including a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double from Morane Dossou.
The visiting Lady Bears secured the opening tip, though Emma Christiano’s mid-range jumper tallied the first points of the contest.
Recording four points in 10 minutes of play on Thursday, Imani Warren rebounded in a big way on Saturday, tallying eight first-quarter points.
Neither team could find much separation through the opening eight and a half minutes, though a 9-0 run in the last 90 seconds, punctuated by a Morane Dossou shot to beat the buzzer, put the home side ahead 21-10. 21 points represented the most by NM State in the first frame this season.
Following a 10-point performance in Thursday’s matchup with FIU, Keira Hudson kept her offense rolling on Saturday, burying three 3-pointers (a new career-high) in her first 10 minutes of gametime, posting 11 total first-half points. Anna Csenyi also produced in the second stanza for the Crimson & White, tallying five points off the bench, including an and-1 opportunity that gave NM State its largest lead of the contest (36-20). With the clock winding down, Imani Warren found DeAvion Wilson at the rim, sending the game to halftime with the home side ahead 38-25.
At the break, the Aggies held a 9-0 advantage in points from 3-point range, while also leading in rebounds (19-12) and bench points (18-10). Coming into the contest, Missouri State guard Kaemyn Bekemeier averaged 18.6 points per contest, good for third-most in Conference USA. In 19 first-half minutes, the junior had zero points on 0-for-4 shooting.
Bekemeier came out in the second half determined to change that, tallying the first five Lady Bears points in the third, including the team’s first and only made triple all afternoon, spearheading a 7-0 run. NM State returned in kind with a 6-0 run off of buckets by Csenyi, Warren and Lucía Yenes, making it a 44-32 contest with five minutes to go in the quarter. Missouri State finished the quarter with 12 points, going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and 1-for-11 from the field, as the Crimson & White entered the fourth with a 50-37 lead.
Keira Hudson ended the third and began the fourth with points for the Aggies, though a 17-4 run in the final stanza saw the NM State lead cut to just two points, 56-54. Down the stretch, the Aggies turned to Imani Warren, who drove the lane and calmly buried a pull-up jumper, drawing the foul and putting the home side ahead 59-54 with just 22 seconds remaining. A basket by Morane Dossou and free throws from Emma Christiano would ice the game, giving the Aggies a thrilling 63-56 victory on the home floor.
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, Missouri State was 58-1 under Head Coach Beth Cunningham when holding opponents to 65 or fewer points. With the win, NM State improved to 3-1 this season when holding opponents between 50-59 points.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- Head Coach Jody Adams tallied her 250th career victory on Saturday afternoon, and her 56th at the helm of the NM State program.
- Morane Dossou tallied her third double-double of the season (10 points, 13 rebounds), all coming in the past eight games.
- Keira Hudson recorded back-to-back double-figure scoring efforts off the bench, while posting a career-high three 3-pointers made. In four home conference contests, the Australian native has posted three 10-plus point games, shooting 60% (6-10) from beyond the arc.
- Imani Warren posted her 12th game of 10 or more points this season, and first since Jan. 8 against Western Kentucky.
- Holding Missouri State to just one made 3-pointer, this is the lowest by an NM State opponent this season, and lowest overall since March 8, 2025, when Sam Houston recorded zero makes from long range.
- Converting on 10 of 12 attempts from the free-throw line, NM State tallied its best percentage at the charity stripe against Division I competition and marks the sixth time in the past nine games with 10 or more makes.
- The Aggies held Missouri State to six assists on Saturday, tied for the fewest allowed against Division I competition on the year (Utah Tech, Dec. 6).
QUOTABLES
Imani Warren, on her mindset against Missouri State: “Being confident in what I do and who I am, but also getting the team to a win, whether that was me on the bench or on the court.”
Head Coach Jody Adams, following Saturday’s victory: “This team has grown so much, from non-conference and into conference play. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to them and the coaching staff. It hasn’t been easy to get to this point, and we still have a long way to go. But the way we approach our daily dues and winning habits, these guys just continue to buy in.”
Head Coach Jody Adams, on the team’s defense against the Lady Bears: “I thought we were wherever Missouri State wanted to be, we were swarming and buzzing everywhere. Our rotations were great, paying great attention to personnel. We made their two scorers take really tired, hard shots. I thought our defense was really, really good.”
NM State next heads back on the road, matching up with Jacksonville State on Thursday, Jan. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. MT, streaming live on ESPN+ with live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
