RUSTON, La. – After an offensive collapse in an overtime loss at Sam Houston, NM State must quickly turn to its next foe; the Lady Techsters. On Thursday, UTEP took to Ruston, falling short in a 16-point, comfortable wire-to-wire win for the home team. The Crimson & White did come out on top when these two squads clashed in the Pan American Center, but must now try to do what few have in CUSA play; win on the road. LA Tech currently sits with a 10-17 mark this season, but are just one game back with a 4-8 CUSA record. NM State (11-14) has eyes on its second road win of the CUSA slate to improve to 6-7 in league play. 
 
How to Follow
Who: NM State (11-13, 5-6 CUSA) at Louisiana Tech (10-17, 4-8 CUSA)
Where: Thomas Assembly Center – Ruston, LA
When: Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 at 2:00 PM MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Series Record: LA Tech leads 14-4
Last Meeting: LA Tech 64 @ NM State 66 [OT] (Jan. 27, 2024)
 
Where the Aggies Stand
Sometimes, shots simply need to go in to win games; especially on the road. NM State got out to a quick start on Thursday, hitting its first four shots at Sam Houston. The rest of the way, the team hit just 17 of 57 shots, sinking just 29.8% of field goals in the final 40 minutes of action. A clutch Jaila Harding 3-pointer with 18.2 seconds remaining tied the game at 54, sending the contest into overtime. NM State missed all eight field goals in the extra frame, scoring just two Fanta Gassama free throws after regulation. Sam Houston rode a 6-0 start in less than a minute and comfortably held on for a 66-56 win. 
 
Molly Kaiser played all 45 minutes, scoring 14 points and leading the team in scoring for the 15^th time this season. NM State did manage to force 20 turnovers, but missed several open layups that proved costly as the game remained close at the end of regulation. 23 Aggie personal fouls were also the fourth-most this season. The Crimson & White committed 29 against the Bearkats less than a month prior, bringing this season's total to 52 fouls versus Sam Houston in two games. 
 
No Comebacks Allowed
For the first time in 2023-24, NM State led after the first quarter and failed to win the game. NM State is now 11-1 when on top after 10 minutes., 11-4 when ahead at halftime, and 11-2 with an advantage to start the final frame. The opening moments have been crucial for NM State, possessing only a few losses when leading at any point.
 
On the flip side, Jody Adams' bunch has yet to come back from a single deficit at any quarter break this season. When trailing or tied, the Aggies are now 0-13 after the opening frame, 0-10 at halftime and 0-12 when down or even at the start of the fourth quarter.  
 
Home Sweet Home
The Conference USA schedule has included 53 games through Feb. 22, 2024. Road teams now have a 17-36 record in those games. The conference's top two seeds (Middle Tennessee and FIU) are a combined 10-2 away from home, with one loss being FIU at Middle Tennessee. The league's other seven teams have combined for just seven road wins in 41 tries. Sam Houston, the league's last-place team, is 2-4 in CUSA home games as part of a 7-17 overall record. 
 
Excluding home games against MTSU, FIU and road games with Sam Houston, CUSA is collectively 3-32 in 35 road games. NM State has one of those three wins; a 50-44 defensive shutdown of Western Kentucky on Jan. 18. In games outside the Pan American Center, NM State is 4-10, with a 2-9 road record and wins in two of three neutral games. 
 
Old Reliable
There have been two Aggies to start all 25 games this season. Every opening tip has been taken by Ene Adams, who has put forth a career year. The senior is sinking 50.7 percent of her shots en route to averaging 7.4 points per game in just 21.7 average minutes of action. Adams also paces the Aggies with 129 total rebounds, 49 of which have come on the offensive end. Molly Kaiser has been the other senior in every starting five of 2023-24. The fourth-year Aggie has improved in nearly every offensive statistic from a year prior. Kaiser has already made more 3-pointers this season (20) than last (12), and has drastically improved her 3-point percentage to 34.5 percent (+9.0). Additionally, the Watauga, Texas native has canned 87.2 percent of her free-throw attempts to bolster her career-high 14.5 points per game. 
 
1K MK
With 1:12 remaining in the third quarter at Middle Tennessee on Jan. 20, Watauga, Texas native Molly Kaiser employed one of her patented moves – driving down the left side of the lane before pulling up for an elbow jumper – burying the shot to give her six points in the quarter. The play held extra significance as it gave Kaiser 1,000 career points, with every bucket coming as a member of the Crimson & White.
 
Kaiser became the 25^th member of the 1,000-point club, and the first since Gia Pack, who played for the Aggies from 2016-2020.
 
Jaila's Jumpers
Transferring in from Butler CC in El Dorado, Kansas, junior guard Jaila Harding has been a spark on offense for the Crimson & White, especially from the 3-point line. Last season, the Aggies ranked 328^th in the nation from beyond the arc, shooting just 26.1 percent. Through 25 games in the 2023-24 season, this has jumped to 32.1 percent, while ranking 124^th in the nation.
 
Among members with at least 2.0 made deep balls per game, Harding paces the Aggies and is first in CUSA with a 38.0 3-point percentage. The Wichita, Kan. native ranks 70^th individually by 3-point percentage and is fourth in the conference with 2.16 made threes per contest.
  
Scouting the Lady Techsters
Sam Houston is led by eighth-year Head Coach Brooke Stoehr, who touts a 130-109 record in her time with the program. The team's leading scorer is Anna Larr Roberson; a forward who averages 12.4 points per contest. The fifth-year product from Ruston, La., also paces the Lady Techsters in field-goal percentage (51.6) and rebounds per game (5.3). Salma Bates is the top guard on the roster, averaging 10.7 points and a team-high 1.6 steals per contest. Last time out against NM State, the duo of Roberson and Bates combined to log 13 points on just 4-for-18 shooting, leaving Anja Bukvic to carry the offensive burden. The Serbia native recorded 18 points and nailed four of five shots from distance, adding three rebounds and a steal. NM State let a 17-point second-half lead slip away, but held on for a 66-64 overtime home win. 
 
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