ST. GEORGE, Utah – Thursday's matchup might have been even more entertaining than the three-overtime bout between these two teams one week ago, however, Aggie fans would have preferred a different result tonight as Dixie State edged out NM State, 72-69.

The Aggies were led in scoring by Bigue Sarr who recorded her 10^th double-double of the season, totaling 16 points and 10 rebounds. Molly Kaiser and Fama Thiam also pushed their way into double-digits as Kaiser finished with 13 points and Thiam posted 12 points in just 15 minutes of action.
 
Similar to how they have done all season, the Aggies dominated the glass once again – outrebounding Dixie State by a total of 38-28. The Aggies pulled off one of the rarest feats in college basketball as they collected more offensive rebounds (21) than they did defensive rebounds (17). The Aggie bench was also another strength tonight as it scored 31 points compared to Dixie State's nine that came away from its starting lineup.
 
Dixie State was led by Emily Isaacson who finished with 25 points and went 7-of-10 from three-point land, including knocking down the game-winner with under three seconds remaining in the contest. Breaunna Gillen scored 20 points while Shanaijah Davison recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
 
FIRST QUARTER
· Dixie State's Shanaijah Davison opened the scoring for the night as she knocked down a three-pointer, however, Tayelin Grays quickly answered for the Aggies. The senior collected the Aggies' first offensive rebound of many to come and connected on the second-chance opportunity.
· The next three minutes of play belonged to the Trailblazers as Dixie State went on an 11-2 scoring run with the Aggies' lone pair of points coming from another offensive rebound and putback – this time from Bigue Sarr.
· The Aggies did their best to battle back as they scored six points over the next 2:26. A Grays steal and score after going the length of the court would cap off a 6-2 run for the Aggies and cut the deficit to six points with 1:51 remaining in the quarter.
· The Aggies would grab 10 offensive rebounds in just the first 10 minutes of the game. Despite absolutely dominating the glass, NM State would also score just 10 points in the first and would trail 23-10 entering the second quarter after Dixie State scored the final seven points of the period.
 
SECOND QUARTER
· The Aggies began to find their footing in the second quarter as they began the quarter on a 7-1 scoring run. Fama Thiam, who provided a spark off the bench for the Aggies all night, knocked in her first points of the game during this run as she connected on a three-pointer, giving an assist to Soufia Inoussa.
· Thiam would also score later in the quarter as she and fellow Senegalese native Sarr combined to help the Aggies score four points in just over a minute and a half in the middle of the quarter.
· The final four minutes of the quarter were nearly dead even as the Trailblazers outscored the Aggies 8-7. During that stretch, NM State's points came in the form of a Taylor Donaldson scoop layup, a long two-pointer from Deja Terrell and a jumper from Molly Kaiser.
· Ultimately, both sides would score 18 points, leaving the NM State deficit at 13 points after two quarters, trailing 28-41.
 
THIRD QUARTER
· Dixie State appeared to be pulling away to start the third when it scored the first five points to push its lead to 18 (the largest of the night), leading 46-28 with 8:16 left in the third period.
· Bigue Sarr then drew a double team and found a cutting Tayelin Grays to start the scoring for the Aggies in the quarter and jump-start a blazing quick 8-0 scoring run to inch back closer to Dixie State.
· Later in the quarter, Jade Bradley would help the Aggies reduce the gap to single digits as she found Thiam on the wing for a three-pointer and then scored on a fast break to put the Aggies down nine points with 3:42 remaining in the quarter.
· The 3:42 mark was also an important moment in the game as NM State's Terrell and Grays and Dixie State's Papa were ejected following a scuffle near the Aggie bench after Bradley scored.
· With the Dixie State post removed from the game, the Aggie offense started to flow through Sarr as she scored four as part of a 6-1 run for the Aggies that brought the Aggies to within five points at the 2:09 mark.
· The Aggies and Trailblazers would each score four with Molly Kaiser concluding the scoring in the third quarter after she collected a rebound off a Trailblazer three-point attempt and went end-to-end to score two for the Aggies and help her squad enter the fourth quarter trailing by just five points after being down by as much as 18 in the quarter.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
· To start the fourth, the Aggies would go on a 7-0 spurt that would give them their first lead of the game after Sarr took full advantage of her size to score inside.
· Extending back to the end of the third quarter, the run would eventually grow to 15 unanswered points and fully swing the momentum in favor of the Aggies.
· Kaiser, Sarr and Bradley produced the entirety of the scoring during the run as Kaiser had five, Sarr had four and Bradley posted six across 3:49 of game time to give the Aggies a six-point advantage with 7:21 left to play.
· Dixie State's Braunna Gillen would finally end the Aggie streak as she hit a pair of free throws to set the score at 62-58 with the see-saw leaning NM State's direction.
· Thanks to Kaiser and Thiam, the Aggies would find themselves with a seven-point lead with just over five minutes to play.
· Dixie State then turned to its three-point shooting as nine of its final 12 points came from beyond the arc.
· The Aggies' score would change one final time when Sarr drained a pair of free throws to give the visiting team a six-point lead with 2:41 left.
· Dixie State would then use a 9-0 run to close the game, including an Isaacson three-pointer that fell through the net with under three seconds left to eventually decide the game.
 
UP NEXT
· The Aggies return home for what is expected to be another close one as they host Grand Canyon. In the first meeting between the two programs this season, GCU needed a last-second shot of its own to earn a win over NM State.
· Tip-off between the Lopes and Aggies is set for noon (MT) inside the Pan American Center.