PHOENIX – New Mexico State women's basketball (9-10, 4-3 WAC) dropped their second straight game Thursday night to Grand Canyon (12-4, 6-1 WAC) after another tight matchup that saw the two teams battle it out in overtime.
Despite not having their best game offensively, the Aggies proved once again that their defense is a force to be reckoned with. NM State forced 19 turnovers against the Lopes – the sixth straight outing where they have forced 15+ turnovers, and the 17th game this season, an opponent has recorded 15 or more turnovers.
Molly Kaiser once again led the Aggies in scoring after she put up 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Shania Harper recorded her fifth double-digit outing of the season after putting up ten points, eight rebounds, and a season-high three steals. Tayelin Grays also had a nice outing securing ten points, seven rebounds, and a steal. Sylena Peterson (10) and Taylor Donaldson (10) also scored double-digits in the game, giving the Aggies five players in double figures – the most players to reach that mark on the season.
NM State won the game's opening tip but failed to score on their first possession after three straight misses. The Lopes took advantage of this and scored the game's opening points nearly a minute and a half into the ballgame. Sylena Peterson got the scoring started for the Aggies after hitting a corner triple off a Molly Kaiser feed. It did not take long for the Aggies to score again as their press forced a turnover on the Lopes inbound, allowing Shania Harper an easy lane to the basket for the second Aggie score of the game.
NM State proceeded to score the next four points of the game as Harper found a way to get a layup to drop after being contacted by her defender, sending her to the line for an and-one opportunity. Molly Kaiser drove the lane on the next possession and found the net after another Lope turnover making the game 9-2 in favor of the Aggies. GCU picked things up with under five minutes to go in the quarter. After starting the game 1-6 shooting, the Lopes connected on their next six shots without missing, ending the quarter on a 13-2 run.
Heading into the second period of play, GCU held a 15-11 lead over the Aggies. Taylor Donaldson connected with a mid-range jumper from the wing to give NM State the opening points of the quarter. Donaldson later connected with the net again, this time with a triple, cutting the Lopes lead down to two with 6:36 left in the half. Another GCU scoring run pushed their lead to 13 with just under three minutes until halftime. Ashley Strawbridge ended the Aggie scoring drought with a jumper just inside the three-point arc to cut the deficit down to eleven making it a 30-19 game. Molly Kaiser scored the next five Aggie points of the half by attacking the teeth of the defense with a driving layup and using a catch-and-shoot jumper from the corner to beat the shot clock and cut the Lope lead down to six headed to the break. At halftime, the score was 30-24 in favor of GCU.
Most of the first-half points came from inside the paint after both teams combined to shoot 4-15 from three. GCU held a +5.0 rebound advantage over the Aggies (19-14), with NM State holding a +2.0 edge on the offensive glass (6-4). Molly Kaiser and Taylor Donaldson led the Aggies in scoring at the break each scoring seven points. Shania Harper led the team in rebounding with four boards.
The Aggies opened the scoring once again in the third quarter, using the fastbreak to their advantage following a GCU turnover forced by Shania Harper. A pair of made free throws by Molly Kaiser cut the Aggies deficit back to two. NM State was now riding an 11-0 run going back to the end of the first half after they were down 17-30 in the second quarter. GCU had gone 5:48 without recording a basket before Olivia Lane ended the Lopes scoring drought with a second-chance layup. After the Lopes were able to jump out to a five-point lead, Taylor Donaldson drove the lane and found the basket again bringing the score to 35-32 with 5:47 left in the period.
NM State was able to regain the lead again – their first since the opening frame – after Tayelin Grays knocked down a wide-open three from the right wing making the score 37-36 with 2:26 left in the third. The Lopes closed out the quarter on top 43-39 after a made layup and a three-pointer at the buzzer.
The fourth quarter was another back-and-forth affair, with neither team giving up a huge edge. Sylena Peterson was able to bury her second three-pointer of the game with 7:03 left to play in regulation, cutting the Aggie deficit back to two. Grand Canyon extended their lead to nine with just over four minutes to play. The Aggies continued to fight down the stretch as they looked to claw back into this game. Molly Kaiser helped the cause with a three-pointer – just her sixth of the season – bringing the score to, 60-55, forcing GCU to call a timeout. After knocking down a pair of free throws on the other end, Tayelin Grays poked the ball free in the mid-court after a bad pass from GCU's Aaliyah Collins. Grays drove the length of the court and found the net for a layup bringing the score to, 60-59.
With 1:18 left to play, Taylor Donaldson found herself at the line looking to give the Aggies the lead with time winding down. She could only make one of the two attempts but tied the game at 60 as both teams headed to the final minute of regulation. The Aggie defense held the Lopes offense scoreless in the final 3:42 of regulation and now had a chance to take the lead, and steal a win. With seconds left on the clock, the Aggies called a timeout looking to draw up a play for the final shot. The ball changed hands a few times before finding Molly Kaiser at the top of the key. Kaiser drove the lane and drew a lot of contact. However, no whistle was blown as the buzzer sounded, signifying the end of regulation, and sending this game to overtime.
The Aggies did all they could in overtime but couldn't find the basket, only connecting on 1-7 shots in the period. On the other hand, GCU was able to drain 3-6 shots in overtime, ultimately giving them a 69-62 lead, handing the Aggies their third loss in conference play.
Notes
· The Aggies won the opening tip
· Five Aggies found themselves in double-figure scoring: Molley Kaiser (16), Tayelin Grays (11), Taylor Donaldson (10), Shania Harper (10) and Sylena Peterson (10).
· Shania Harper recorded a season high three steals to go with her ten points and eight rebounds.
· The Aggies forced 19 turnovers, the 17th time they have forced 15+ turnovers in a game this season and the sixth straight game where they have forced 15 or more turnovers
· The Aggies scored 23 of their points off turnovers.
· Half of the points scored tonight came in the paint (66/131)
