LAS CRUCES, N.M. -  Despite their best defensive efforts, NM State couldn't overcome an offensive performance that was stagnant at times. The team combined to hit only 19 of their 61 field goal attempts, in what was their worst field goal percentage of the season (31.1). The home team kept it close by hitting 15 of 17 free throw attempts, but a 9-0 fourth quarter Anteater run was too much to overcome, forcing the eventual 61-55 final score. UC Irvine continued their solid start to the season, improving to 6-3 overall. The Aggies dropped their second straight game and fell to 4-4 in the process.

First Quarter

The NM State defensive discipline showed itself early on as Loes Rozing drew a charge on the Anteaters' opening possession. Moments later, the Aggie defense directly contributed to points as Sabou Gueye jumped in the passing lane to steal a pass and take it the length of the floor and give the Aggies an early 4-0 lead.

UCI eventually worked itself into the lead as a result of a 9-2 run that was brought to a conclusion by a Sylena Peterson jump shot. With a little over three minutes remaining, Molly Kaiser produced a highlight reel block that she collected the rebound from. Kaiser then pushed the ball up the floor and found a wide open Jaila Harding on the right wing for a three-pointer that pulled the Aggies back even with UCI. The Anteaters would then answer with a three of their own while ultimately taking a 17-15 lead into the second quarter.

Second Quarter

A little over two minutes into the period, the Aggies drew yet another charge to bring their game total to four with almost three quarters left to play. Early in the quarter, both sides also struggled to score as NM State managed just four points while UCI scored zero points during the first three minutes and 13 seconds of action during the second frame.

The Anteaters eventually got the ball to drop as they rattled off five unanswered points to take a three-point lead. Jody Adams' squad immediately responded with five straight points of its own to regain the lead. The quick Aggie run was bookended by mid-range jumpers from Molly Kaiser. NM State later utilized a shot from Jaila Harding to move ahead 28-26, however, UCI drained a buzzer beater to even the score at the half.

Third Quarter

Once again, the Aggies gameplan on the defensive end was evident as they drew their sixth charge of the game just six seconds into the third quarter. The back-and-forth battle continued as the two sides were even at 34 with 3:19 remaining in the period. UCI was able to pull away briefly when a pair of Aggie fouls turned into three made free throws - giving the visiting side a three-point advantage that would remain in place until the 1:30 mark when a fastbreak layup from Loes Rozing kickstarted a three-point run for the Aggies to leave the teams tied at 37 to begin the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter

UC Irvine gained full control of the momentum to start the final quarter - managing a 9-0 run across the first 3:32 before a steal from Sianny Sanchez-Oliver rolled into points for the Aggies on the other end in the form of a layup from Jaila Harding. In need of a response, the Aggies got just that - generating a 14-4 run over the ensuing 3:39. The run was highlighted by a Molly Kaiser three-pointer in transition to reduce the lead to two points before four straight points from Femme Sikuzani Masudi helped the Aggies jump in front 51-50 with under three minutes to play. Unfortunately, the Anteaters recorded nine of the next 11 points to claim a lead that it would never give up.

Numbers of Note

• Texas transfer Femme Sikuzani Masudi logged her first minutes as an Aggie while also registering her first points with the program in the first quarter. Sikuzani Masudi would finish the game with a career-high 13 points and five rebounds in her debut. Seven of her points came at the charity stripe where she was 7-7 - marking the most by any individual Aggie this season.

• NM State reached a new season-high for free throws made in a single game with 15 shots made from the charity stripe. This was also a result of the Aggies posting a season-high in free-throw percentage (.882). 

• The physical nature of the game led to the Aggies accumulating a season-high 25 fouls.

• The Aggie defense held UC Irvine to just three made threes - tying for the lowest by any NM State opponent this season.

• The winner of the rebounding battle has come out on top in every game this season. NM State is 3-0 when out-rebounding their opponents this season, and 0-4 when their opponents do so. NM State also won the game against UIW, when each team had 32 rebounds. 

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the loss: "I think we found our competitive spirit. Now we just have to continue doing the hard stuff and getting the small wins to eventually end up in the win column. Our focus is not on wins, it's on the small wins. I like that we found our competitive spirit, but now we have to form our greatness. That takes doing hard things over and over, and doing it with joy."

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the assessment of Femme Sikuzani Masudi in her debut: "I love her ability to be calm, cool and collected, and step to the line and hit 7-7 on free throws. She'll only get better with experience, because she hasn't played in two years. To have that presence at the rim will be very special for this team."

Up Next

The Aggies will return to action next Tuesday, Dec. 12. NM State will stay at home, welcoming Western New Mexico to the Pan American Center confines at 5:00 PM MT. The matchup between the Mustangs and Aggies will be streamed live on ESPN+, and will be available to follow via StatBroadcast. 

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.

##NM State##