St. George, Utah – Resiliency. In a Saturday afternoon affair, NM State (2-6) battled back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to knock off Utah Tech (4-4). Imani Warren finished with 13 points on the day, but the two most important ones came with just 14 ticks on the clock, putting the Aggies on top before securing a 58-55 victory.
 
The Trailblazers got on the board first, with leading scorer Kaylee Borden (game-high 22 points) finding a lane through the NM State defense. This would be the only points through the first three-and-a-half minutes of action, before Marta Guilera knotted the score with a jumper. Freshman guard Keira Hudson showed an offensive aggression early, putting in the next six points of the game for the Crimson & White – tying her career high in the opening frame. However, the Aggies would still find themselves down 12-8 after the opening ten minutes.
 
Emma Christiano dropped in a tough floater from the left side of the hoop, tying the game at 12 all with her first points of the afternoon. A low-scoring second stanza saw just 15 points between the two squads, with NM State facing an 18-17 deficit heading into halftime.
 
Bench production was the name of the game in the first 20 minutes of play, with 12 of the Aggies' 17 points coming off the pine.
 
An offensive explosion from both sides of the court came about in the third quarter, with Imani Warren sinking the Aggies' first 3-pointer of the day to give NM State a six-point edge (28-22). The Crimson & White lead would grow to eight following a layup from Marta Guilera (32-24), but a 9-0 scoring spurt over the ensuing eighty seconds would see the visitors trailing 33-32 with a little over 12 minutes left in the contest. While Keira Hudson knocked in her first triple of the game with seconds on the clock, NM State trailed by a score of 43-39 heading into the fourth.
 
An individual 5-0 run from Utah Tech's Borden would swell the NM State disadvantage to nine points (48-39), but the Aggies didn't waver. Senior guard Anna Csenyi buried a three for her first points of the contest, while Lucía Yenes and Morane Dossou put in timely buckets to make it a one-possession affair (51-48) with just under four minutes to go.
 
With time running out, the Aggies turned to first-year guard Keira Hudson, launching and connecting on a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie it, 54-54. Finishing with 32 3-point attempts on Saturday, Utah Tech tried to ice the contest from long range, missing both attempts to leave NM State room to operate.
 
A clutch offensive rebound from Marta Guilera gave NM State the opportunity to call up a baseline out-of-bounds play, with Las Cruces native Emma Christiano finding Imani Warren, who shook her defender, pulled up from the right elbow, and calmly knocked in the go-ahead basket. Additionally, a foul on the floor against Utah Tech sent Marta Guilera to the free-throw line, converting the unusual 3-point play to give the Aggies a 57-54 lead.
 
The home side Trailblazers aimed for one last triple to send the contest into overtime, though NM State would come away with the win, 58-55.
 
This is the first victory away from Las Cruces for the Aggies this season, while also snapping a five-game skid.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Freshman guard Keira Hudson played a pivotal role in the Aggie victory, finishing with a team-high and career-best 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in just 22 minutes of action.
• Milwaukee, Wis., native Imani Warren played the hero in St. George, knocking in the go-ahead score and finishing with 13 points, her fifth game tallying double-digits in the scoring column. Heading into the 2025-26 season, Warren had amassed just one such performance.
• The Aggies tied a season-high with 12 steals on Saturday afternoon, finishing with more than their opponents for the first time this season.
• A stout NM State defense held Utah Tech to just 15.6% shooting from beyond the arc, entering the contest with a 27.8% clip. This becomes a new season-low in 3-point percentage for an Aggie foe on the year.
• Senior forward Lucía Yenes rounded out the Aggies in double figures, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds in the win. With six games scoring 10-plus points in just eight games this season, Yenes has surpassed her total from the 2024-25 season (five games with ten or more points in 33 contests).
• The Crimson & White made 23 baskets, representing a new season-high against Division-I competition, with four 3-pointers, their second-most makes in a game this season, following a six-triple performance against Southern Utah on Thursday.

 
QUOTABLES
Freshman Guard Keira Hudson, following a career-best 16-point performance in the win: "It felt good to contribute and help get the win today. It was a good step in my journey, finding a rhythm in the game. I'm happy we came away with a win.
 
When you put good energy into others it often comes back. It was my job to do my 20 square feet and be confident."

Freshman Guard Keira Hudson, on the team's ability to come back and secure a victory: "It's easy to put your head down when you're behind, but I'm really proud of how we stepped up down the stretch and stayed confident in each other to close it out. I thought everyone contributed from the bench to the performance on the court, and it's great that we are finding our groove!"

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the team's effort to complete the game against Utah Tech: "They've continued to persevere. They're learning every step of the way, every minute, every possession. They've toughed it out and kept their spirits up against a very tough team. I love their resiliency."

Following over a month-long absence, NM State returns to the friendly confines of the Pan American Center on Sunday, Dec. 14, playing host to Western New Mexico. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Las Cruces, with the game streaming live on ESPN+ and live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.

For complete coverage of NM State Women's Basketball, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWBB), Instagram (@NMStateWBB), and like us on Facebook (NM State Women's Basketball).