Kaiser Dominates In 2024-25 Home Opener

Aggies handle Trailblazers 85-63 behind career night from fifth-year star.

Source: NMSU Athletics
Article By: Matthew Knope
Photo By Mike Martinez for NMSU: Courtesy

The undefeated season rolls on. NM State is now 2-0 to begin the young campaign thanks to a resounding win over Utah Tech from the Pan American Center. Molly Kaiser was absolutely electric, posting a career-high 35 points, five rebounds and four steals. Fanta Gassama poured in another stellar performance in the paint, racking up 14 points and as many rebounds. The Aggies have won their first two contests for the first time since the 2021-22 season, with UTSA and Western New Mexico still awaiting for the remainder of the homestand.

FIRST QUARTER
Anna Csenyi was the recipient of the first home points of the season, nailing a jumper just six seconds into the contest. From that point, Molly Kaiser and Fanta Gassama accounted for 18 of 25 points for the home squad. The latter also paced the team with five rebounds in the opening frame. Elsewhere, Jaila Harding entered off the bench to make her season debut, sinking a triple near the end of the stanza.

In its season opener, Utah Tech put up 11 free-throw attempts. In the first 10 minutes, Chardonnay Hartley alone got to the line 12 times, converting on eight attempts. Despite a last second Trailblazer mid-range field goal, NM State led 27-22 after 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER
In similar fashion to Monday’s game at UC Irvine, NM State held its opponent to its lowest point total in the second frame. Utah Tech posted just eight points in the frame, failing to convert from beyond the arc. The home side racked up 19 points, including eight points from as many attempts at the charity stripe. Kaiser posted her second straight 10-point quarter, including three of five field goals.

In the first half, NM State amassed 10 bench points, while the visitors tallied none. The home side held a sizeable 46-30 advantage.

THIRD QUARTER
Kaiser made history to start the second half, as she poured in another 11 points. With a right-elbow mid-range jumper at the 1:51 mark, she recorded her 29^th point of the night, surpassing her previous best of 27, which she set versus UT Arlington on Feb. 23, 2023. Anna Csenyi poured in a pair of triples as she now leads the team with four on the season. The Aggies held on to their strong lead, growing it to 68-45.

FOURTH QUARTER
In just two minutes, Kaiser tallied four more points, bringing her historic total to 35 points. The fifth-year Aggie took her place on the bench with just shy of eight minutes left on the clock. In short order, Jody Adams turned to her reserves, and it was Madi Gewirtz who stole the show. The true freshman posted all eight of her points in the final period, sinking four of five shots. Diarrah Sissoko also made her Aggie debut, hitting a layup and a free throw en route to three points. The Aggies won in blowout fashion by a score of 85-63.

NUMBERS OF NOTE.
•       Senior guard Molly Kaiser recorded a career-high 35 points on 14-of-21 from the floor to mark the first time since March 12, 2014, that an Aggie finished with 35 or more points. NM State’s Danesia Williamson was the last Aggie to do so – scoring 37 against UT Pan American.
•       The Aggie bench doubled the output of the Trailblazer reserves as they turned in 24 points while the visiting bench finished the night with 12.
•       NM State finished with more points in all five major scoring categories – points off of turnovers (24-14), points in the paint (34-26), second chance points (15-7), fast break points (12-7) and bench points (24-12).
•       Fanta Gassama ended the night with 14 points and 14 boards to mark her second double-double of the season. This matches her double-double total from a season ago. Additionally, the Aggies tallied just three double-doubles across the season last year. This hot start comes after the Mataró, Spain, native averaged 6.8 points and 7.9 rebounds during the 2023-24 season.
•       Gassama also finished with a career-high in steals, coming up with five on the night. As a team, the Aggies ended the night with 14 steals which would have ranked second among games during the 2023-24 campaign.
•       On the night, the Aggies finished shooting 50% from the floor – a feat they accomplished just four times last season. This solid shooting night led to 85 total points. Last year, the Aggies hit 80 points just one time in the season – doing so against Western New Mexico on December 12, 2023.
•       Tonight, the Aggies outscored the Trailblazers in all four quarters. Last year, NM State outscored its opponent in each quarter a total of three times.
•       NM State hauled in 41 rebounds against the Trailblazers to mark the first 40-rebound game of the season. Last year, the Aggies recorded 40 or more rebounds just five times.
•       Jaila Harding made her first appearance of the season after missing the first game due to injury. Last year, Harding ranked second on the team in scoring – averaging 9.3 points per game. Tonight, Harding finished with six points in 25 minutes.
•       Diarra Sissoko and Noah Garcia each made their Aggie debuts as Sissoko totaled eight minutes of action and turned in three points while Garcia tallied one minute of playing time.
•       Loes Rozing equaled her career-high in assists with three – matching a performance last season against Sam Houston on Jan. 25, 2024.

FROM THE FLOOR
Fifth year guard Molly Kaiser, on what she will remember from her performance: “I’ll remember that this is the first time I played on the anniversary of my dad’s passing. I’ll remember playing for something bigger than myself. I’ll remember representing the name and number on the back of this jersey as well as the school on the front. Like I’ve said before, New Mexico State means the world to me. My father, my family and his legacy mean the world to me too. I’ll remember honoring him the most.”

Fifth year guard Molly Kaiser, on what went right during her career night: “I think it started with my teammates. In the locker room, we preached about being aggressive in everything we do. We came out here and decided that this is our house. We’ve lost to this team before, so we came in here with a mindset focused on winning. We did win that road game [at UC Irvine], but we didn’t want to settle at 1-0. We wanted to continue that momentum to 2-0 and further. Of course, my teammates got me going and that made it all easier tonight.”

UP NEXT
The Aggies’ three-game homestand rolls on with a rematch from early in the 2023-24 campaign. NM State will welcome UTSA to the Pan American Center with the action slated to begin at 5:00 PM MT on Thursday, Nov. 14. The matchup between the Aggies and Roadrunners will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com.

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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Levi Gwaltney

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