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Aggies, Oh Aggies!
ene Adams going for the opening tip against Arizona
Emilio Garcia
68
Winner Arizona UA 1-0,0-0 Pac-12
57
New Mexico St. NMSU 0-1,0-0 CUSA
Winner
Arizona UA
1-0,0-0 Pac-12
68
Final
57
New Mexico St. NMSU
0-1,0-0 CUSA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Arizona UA 19 16 11 22 68
New Mexico St. NMSU 6 17 12 22 57

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | NM State Media Relations

Wildcats’ Defense Shuts Down Aggies in Season Opener

Kaiser sets career high with four triples, and four Aggies make their debut.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - For the first time since 2019, a Power Five program came to Las Cruces and Aggie Nation didn't disappoint, showing out strong for the Aggies in their season-opening bout against (RV) Arizona. Though NM State never led in the contest, they hung tight with the Wildcats all night long, ultimately falling 68-57.

 

Molly Kaiser kicked off her senior season by leading the Aggies with 22 points, while pouring in a career high four three-pointers. Junior guard Sabou Gueye joined Kasier in double-figure scoring posting a career-best 13 points, while also tallying a career-high in steals with three.

 

FIRST QUARTER

Playing a non-exhibition contest for the first time in 232 days, the Aggies struggled to find their legs, going just 1-14 in the first quarter, including 0-4 from three-point range. Scoring four points at the charity stripe in the opening frame, Sabou Gueye scored NM State's first basket of the night with 2:49 remaining in the first quarter to make it a 13-5. As the buzzer sounded at the end of the opening stanza, NM State trailed 19-6.

 

SECOND QUARTER

Settling into their groove as the game continued, the Aggies put together an 8-0 run behind baskets from Sabou Gueye, Tylie Jones and Molly Kaiser - with Kaiser recording her first field goal of the game after missing her first six attempts from the field. With the run, NM State trimmed the Arizona lead to five points, 23-18. Maya Nnaji broke the Aggie run by knocking down a triple with 4:36 left in the first half. Jaila Harding rattled home her first bucket as a member of the Crimson & White, a three-pointer to make it a 30-23 contest with 2:31 remaining. As the first half came to a close, the Wildcats led the Aggies 35-23. 

 

THIRD QUARTER

Coming out of the locker room with passion and intensity, the Aggies clamped down defensively in the third quarter - holding Arizona to just 29.4% from the field and an 0-7 mark from downtown, a stark difference from the Wildcats' 55.6% shooting clip in the first half. A trio of baskets by the Aggies cut the Wildcats' lead back to single digits, making it 38-29 with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter. 

 

FOURTH QUARTER

A consistent clutch performer for NM State since arriving on campus in 2020, Molly Kaiser proved herself once again, leading the Aggies with 16 points in the fourth quarter - including a career-high four three-pointers. Nailing her first triple of the night with just 8:14 remaining, she quickly added a second, and her third cut the Wildcats lead to eight (55-47) with 6:03 left in the contest, the closest NM State would get.


NUMBERS OF NOTE

  • After eclipsing the 20-point mark only three times during the 2022-23 campaign, Preseason All-CUSA guard Molly Kaiser posted 22 points in the Aggies' first outing of the season. Kaiser also becomes the first Aggie to score 20 or more points against a Power Five opponent since Brooke Salas scored 20 against Arizona on Dec. 14, 2017. 
  • Kaiser's performance also included a career high in threes made as she knocked down four on just six attempts. 
  • Sabou Gueye posted a new career high in points as she scored 13 to surpass her previous best of 10 points. 
  • Several Aggies made their debuts on Monday night as Tylie Jones, Jaila Harding, Loes Rozing and Sha'Kyia Parker each logged minutes for the first time as members of the Crimson & White. Additionally, Jones, Harding and Rozing each recorded their first points as Aggies – scoring five, five and two points, respectively. 
  • Despite coming out of the game with fewer total points, the Aggies only lost one quarter as they outscored the Wildcats in both the second and third quarters while the two sides each scored 22 points in the final quarter of action. The difference in the game was the first quarter as the Wildcats outscored NM State 19-6. 
  • The Aggies were exceptional from the field in the second and fourth quarters – combining to shoot 13-of-24 (54.1%). On the contrary, the offense struggled to convert in the first and third quarters – knocking down just six shots on 31 attempts to finish the two periods with a combined shooting percentage of 19.4%. 
  • Arizona often sent out a two-big lineup with Maya Nnaji and Breya Cunningham who each stand six-foot, four-inches tall and the size showed as the Wildcats outrebounded the Aggies 40-20. 
  • The Aggies did outscore the Wildcats in fast break points, posting 11 points compared to the Wildcats' five.

UP NEXT
Following the home opener, NM State now heads on the road for a pair of contests in San Antonio, Texas. The trip to Alamo City will start Friday, Nov. 10 against UTSA, and conclude with a Sunday, Nov. 12 contest against Incarnate Word. 
 

For complete coverage of NM State Women's Basketball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWBB), Instagram (@NMStateWBB) and like us on Facebook (NM State Women's Basketball). You can also follow along with Aggie Women's Basketball via NMStateSports.com.

 

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