LAS CRUCES, N.M. – In front of a record-breaking 5,034 fans in attendance, the NM State women's basketball teamed stepped up and dominated CSU Bakersfield, 86-63, on Saturday at the Pan Am Center.
 
The record number in attendance was a part of the "Pack The Pan Am 2.0" promotion.
 
Saturday's win gave NM State its eighth-straight win as the Aggies remain undefeated in Western Athletic Conference play (6-0) to go with its 17-3 overall record.
 
The Aggie defense came up big, forcing 17 turnovers and converted them for 26 points. The defense also forced Bakersfield into four 10-second violations, the most NM State has forced all season.
 
NM State trailed early on in the first quarter, falling behind CSU Bakersfield 11-4 at the 4:49 mark in the first quarter.
 
After the media timeout, 3-pointers from Moriah Mack and Sasha Weber followed by a put-back from Tyler Ellis brought the Aggies within 13-12 of CSUB (5-15, 2-3 WAC). Mack was then fouled on a corner three, but was only able to convert on one to them as NM State trailed 15-13 after the first quarter.
 
However, the veteran Aggie squad wasn't fazed at quarters end as the Aggies were 6-1 heading into Saturday's anticipated match-up when trailing after the opening frame.
 
NM State turned Bakersfield over six times in the second quarter and converted them into 18 points for the 47-33 lead at halftime. Weber played a big role in the Aggies' gaining a 14-point lead, knocking down 3-of-4.
 
The senior guard finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, six of which came from behind the arc.
 
The Aggies started off a bit slow in the third quarter with the 'Runners using a 13-6 run to cut the NM State lead to 53-46 with 4:52 left in the frame.
 
A quick 3-pointer and fade-away jumper from Mack made it 58-49. The San Antonio, Texas, native finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Mack was three points shy of passing her career-high of 21, which she set against Utah Valley in the WAC home-opener.
 
CSUB brought it within 59-53 minutes later on a short jumper from Batabe Zempare, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
 
NM State put the game away essentially one minute into the fourth quarter, putting up seven-straight points to go up by 71-53 on a jumper by Brooke Salas. The freshman was one of four Aggies in double-figures with a final line of 12 points, four board, four assists and two blocks.
 
Brianna Freeman was three rebounds shy of getting her 14th-career double-double and fifth of the season, finishing with 11 points, seven boards and one block.
 
The Aggies were deadly from the field this afternoon, especially from 3-point range. NM State connected on 13-of-27 shots downtown as a team (.481). The Aggies shot .484 from the field (30-62) Saturday, their second-best shooting performance this season.
 
NM State will finish the first half of conference play next Saturday at UT Rio Grande Valley (Jan. 30), who is currently 5-0 in WAC play heading into its game tonight against Seattle U. The Aggies and Vaqueros are slated to tip-off at 6 p.m. (MT) in Edinburg, Texas.
 
POSTGAME NOTES: Saturday's win was the third time this season where NM State scored 80-plus points in a game...Last time NM State scored 80-plus was against Northern Arizona, an 87-53 win...The Aggies out-rebounded their opponents for the third-straight game, winning the battle on the boards tonight 36-33…Weber was two points shy of cracking the NM State top-10 scoring list tonight…She was also one 3-pointer shy of her career-high in three-point field-goals made…Freeman's block tonight ties her with Weber for eighth all-time in blocks…NM State starters accounted for 57 of the 86 points…Saturday was the second time in four games where the Aggies have had four players reach double-figures…CSUB's Zempare became 1-of-7 active players in Division I with 1,000 career rebounds Saturday.