LAS CRUCES – After three nail-biting overtimes, the Aggies prevailed as they outlasted Dixie State, 84-82 in a game that felt like it might never end.
 
In a game that featured 17 lead changes and 10 ties, the Aggies' top point scorer on the night was sophomore stud Taylor Donaldson as she finished the game with 19 points for her second-highest scoring total of the season. Donaldson also snagged seven rebounds and was one of three Aggies to eclipse 40 minutes of playing time in the extended battle. Bigue Sarr was the Aggies' best at collecting rebounds as she totaled 16 boards to go along with 11 points to post her third-straight double-double. Soufia Inoussa recorded the most time on the floor tonight for the Aggies as she played over 45 minutes and finished with 14 points and a season-high 10 rebounds to manage the second double-double of her career.
 
As a team, the Aggies hoisted up 90 shot attempts to mark the largest number of field-goal attempts for NM State this season. Of those, 31 of them came from the three-point line where the Aggies scored 27 total points off nine three-pointers. The most glaring stat in the NM State victory was the discrepancy in points off the bench where the Aggies outscored the Trailblazers 38-6. The Aggies also dominated the glass once again as they pulled down 49 rebounds compared to Dixie State's 39.
 
Dixie State was led in scoring by Shanaijah Davison who finished the game with 22 points and seven rebounds while recording 50 minutes and 22 seconds of playing time. Macie Warren and Breaunna Gillen were also responsible for a large chunk of the Trailblazers' points as they combined for 39 points with Warren posting 18 and Gillen posting 21. No Dixie State participant reached double digits in the category of rebounds as they were led by Warren and Gillen who each pulled down eight rebounds.
 
FIRST QUARTER
· The scoring in this one got underway as Dixie State's Macie Warren hit one of her four triples.
· Mel Isbell then answered with a three-pointer of her own. Warren and Isbell started Thursday's three-point trend as nearly half of the game's points came from deep range with the teams combing for 60 points off threes.
· The two sides would then go back and forth with the two teams combining to score on five-straight possessions. All six of the Aggies' points during this stretch came from NM State's leading scorer in Bigue Sarr as NM State found itself with an early 9-7 lead at the 7:28 mark in the first quarter.
· The opening period in the Pan Am continued to watch the two squads trade blows as the biggest lead of the quarter came at the 3:34 mark when Tayelin Grays went on a 5-0 solo scoring run to put the Aggies ahead 14-10.
· As it has done all season, Dixie State relied on its three-point shooting to stick around in the first quarter as the visiting Trailblazers knocked down two more triples in the 6:48 to give them three for the quarter and eventually a one-point lead when the quarter came to a close.
 
SECOND QUARTER
· The Aggies then made the decision to turn the affair into a three-point contest as four different Aggies hit three-pointers to open the quarter and help Brooke Atkinson's squad start the second on a 14-0 run while holding Dixie State scoreless for the first four minutes of the period. This put the Aggies out front with their largest lead of the game as they led 31-18 with 6:00 to play.
· During NM State's run, Dixie State also attempted four three-pointers of its own, however, nothing would drop until the 5:34 mark when Emily Isaacson connected on her second three-point shot of the first half when the Trailblazers finally put a stop to the Aggies' run.
· Dixie State absorbed the Aggie haymaker and rattled off its own scoring run to finish off the quarter as they outscored the Aggies, 14-5, including Isaacson's three. This would reduce the Aggie advantage to just four points entering halftime.
 
THIRD QUARTER
· Out of the break, Soufia Inoussa scored the first points in the second half as she got a jumper to fall, putting the Aggies ahead by six points with one third-quarter possession in the books.
· Dixie State then used a three-pointer and three from within the arc to sprint to a 9-2 scoring run to retake the lead at the 7:00 mark in the third quarter.
· After nine first-half points on three made three-pointers, Mel Isbell connected on one from close to end the Trailblazer run and put the Aggies back in control with a 42-41 lead with just under six minutes to play in the third period.
· Deja Terrell and Taylor Donaldson started to take over the quarter at the 5:06 mark when the pair combined to lead the Aggies on a 8-2 run and give them their biggest lead of the second half, going ahead 50-45 with two minutes left to play in the third.
· Dixie State then scored the final four points of the quarter to shrink the Aggie lead to one point heading into the final period of regulation.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
· The Aggies and Trailblazers did have quite an unusual start to the fourth quarter as the game was put on hold due to the fire alarm system within the Pan Am being set off and forcing players and fans to exit the building for approximately 15 minutes.
· Upon return to the building, Terrell continued to be a spark off the bench as the graduate student used a layup to score the first points of the fourth quarter to bring her game total to six points and give the home team a three-point lead.
· Following Terrell's made basket, Dixie State appeared to be taking control of the game as they scored the game's next eight points and then used a Brooke Vance three-pointer to take their biggest lead of the night, going ahead 60-54 with just four minutes left in the quarter.
· The Aggies then turned to two of their best scorers to claw their way back into the game as Molly Kaiser and Taylor Donaldson combined to help the Aggies post a 7-1 run over the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to ultimately send the duel into overtime with the scored tied at 61-61.
 
FIRST OVERTIME
· After Aggie and Trailblazer defenses gave up zero points in the first 2:34 of the first overtime, Donaldson stayed persistent as a scorer as she scored the first points in bonus time to give the Aggies a two-point lead.
· In response, Dixie State scored the next five points, including three of which came at the free-throw line as the Trailblazers gained a late three-point advantage.
· Down three points and the room for error minimizing, the Aggies' Adrianna Henderson scored her only field goal of the game as she drove down the middle of the lane and used the glass to bring the Aggies back to within one.
· NM State's next possession resulted in points and the lead as Soufia Inoussa drained one of her two three-pointers in the overtime periods to give the Aggies a 68-66 lead with 42 seconds remaining on the clock.
· However, Dixie State then collected the two points it needed as Shanaijah Davison scored with 30 seconds remaining to even the score and eventually send the game into a second overtime.
 
SECOND OVERTIME
· Dixie State scored first in the added time then Inoussa's second triple of overtime and third of the tilt swooshed in with 4:08 left in the second overtime to give the Aggies the upper hand.
· Sarr piggy backed off Inoussa's made three to score a layup and extend the Aggies lead to three points.
· Following Sarr's points, Dixie State answered with a three-point scoring run to put the score at a deadlock before the Aggies and Trailblazers each scored once more down the stretch to set the score at 75-75 after 50 minutes of play.
 
THIRD OVERTIME
·  In what would be the final overtime of the game, the Aggies' first three points would come from the Sarr at the charity stripe. This would also move Sarr into double digits for the night, pushing her season total of double-digit scoring efforts to 14.
· Sarr's points were rivaled by a Trailblazer layup from Davison to make the scoreboard read 78-77 in favor of the Aggies with 3:51 left to play.
· In a game in which the Aggies shot 31 three-pointers, the biggest one of the game came at the 2:39 mark when Tayelin Grays connected from the left side of the court to push the Aggies' lead to four points.
· The Aggies lead then hovered around four points for the remaining two minutes until Dixie State's Davison knocked down a three with seven seconds to play and brought the Trailblazers to with two points before the Aggies successfully dribbled out the remainder of the clock and earned a hard-fought victory.
 
UP NEXT
· The Aggies will have limited time to celebrate, relax and recover as the other WAC school that hails from Utah will visit the Pan Am in less than 48 hours.
· After defeating Grand Canyon, 58-50, in Phoenix on Thursday, Utah Valley will make the trip east to do battle with NM State. Tip-off for Saturday's contest is set for noon.