Aggies host Mustangs for Wednesday in-state clash.
Source: NMSU Athletics
Story and Photo By Matthew Knope for NMSU: Courtesy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State Women’s Basketball’s first homestand of the season wraps up tomorrow against Western New Mexico. The Aggies are set to host the Mustangs for the fourth game of the season and their third consecutive at home. Western NM will treat the matchup as an exhibition while the Crimson & White have their eyes on a return to the win column. Molly Kaiserand Fanta Gassama look to continue their stellar individual performance into the third week of the season ahead of Thanksgiving Weekend’s Gulf Coast Showcase.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Who: Western NM (1-1, 0-0 Lone Star Conference – DII) at NM State (2-1, 0-0 CUSA)
Where: Pan American Center – Las Cruces, N.M.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 at 6:00 PM MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
All-Time Series Record: NM State leads 17-0
Last Meeting: Western NM 54 at UTSA 89 (Dec. 12, 2023)
LAST TIME OUT
NM State suffered its first defeat of the season last week, falling by a score of 75-61 at the hands of UTSA. The Roadrunners won the rebounding battle in convincing fashion (37-20), outscoring the Aggies 17-5 on second-chance points. The hosts fell to 2-1 on the campaign, missing out on what would have been their first 3-0 start to a season in six years. Molly Kaiserled the way once again, racking up 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and seven conversions on eight attempts from the charity stripe.
2023 MATCHUP SUMMARY
Last year, the Aggies hosted the Mustangs on Dec. 12, cruising to a 35-point victory. Molly Kaiser played only 20 minutes but put up an efficient 22-point outing on just 13 shots, sinking nine field goals and going 2-for-2 at from both the free-throw and 3-point lines. After the conclusion of the week, Kaiser was named Conference USA Player of the Week. Lucía Yenes was another heavy contributor, tallying 13 points on a 6-for-12 mark in addition to her nine rebounds.
AGENT 007
Molly Kaiser is a certified legend in the history of NM State Women’s Basketball. The Watauga, Texas native has spent all five seasons with the Crimson & White, making her the longest-tenured Aggie on the 2024-25 roster. Kaiser has nearly 1,300 career points, highlighted by her single greatest performance to date earlier this month.
The 5-foot-8 guard notched 35 points on hyper-efficient shooting against Utah Tech on Nov. 7. She sank 14 of 21 field goals, three of five 3-pointers and four of five free throws en route to the highest individual output since Danesia Williamson on March 12, 2014. In addition to her offensive explosion, the Saginaw High School product raked in four steals for a career high. For the season, Kaiser ranks eighth in the nation with 25.0 points per game.
FANTA-STIC
Midway through last season, NM State bolstered its frontcourt with the addition of Fanta Gassama. The now-senior went on an impressive run at the end of 2023-24, averaging 9.1 rebounds and nearly six points per game over the final eight contests of the regular season. In the CUSA Quarterfinals, the Spain native was exceptional, collecting 20 points and 17 rebounds. Gassama was perfect from the floor, sinking all eight of her field goals and going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line as the Aggies prevailed 63-58 in an upset over No. 3 seed FIU.
This year, Gassama started off with a bang at UC Irvine. She paced both teams with 22 points as she hit eight of her 16 field goal attempts. Her presence was most felt down low, however, as the Mataró, Spain native hauled in 16 rebounds. Three days later against Utah Tech, Gassama tallied her second double-double of the young campaign, notching 14 points and as many rebounds. Her 13.0 rebounds per game currently rank tied for third among all of NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball.
Gassama holds the only two double-doubles by an Aggie so far this season. With two already, she ranks tied for 14th in the nation in individual double-doubles. Spanning back to last year, the second-year Aggie has four double-doubles; all of which have come in the past six games.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
The Aggies are led by 11 upperclassmen, including nine seniors. Molly Kaiser and Diarrah Sissoko are each in their fifth season of collegiate basketball, headlining a 15-person roster that has 50 combined seasons of experience, including 32 at NM State. Four Aggies are on at least their third season in the program: Molly Kaiser (five), Sylena Peterson (four), Sianny Sanchez-Oliver (four) and Lucía Yenes (three).
INTERNATIONAL AGGIES
There are seven Aggies with international backgrounds on the 2024-25 roster. Four of those seven hail from Spain (Fanta Gassama, Noah Garcia, Marta Guilera, Lucía Yenes). Hungary (Anna Csenyi), Netherlands (Loes Rozing) and Mali (Diarrah Sissoko) are also represented on this year’s squad. Four of six Aggie newcomers are form overseas, rounding out a roster that is 46.7% international.
88 of the Aggies’ 203 points this season have come courtesy of international members. Those seven student-athletes accumulated 53 of 96 rebounds (55.2%) and 34 of 76 made field goals (44.7%). In addition to newcomer Anna Csenyi, Loes Rozing and Fanta Gassama have returned to the starting lineup in similar fashion to the regular first five at the conclusion of 2023-24.
GUESS WHO’S BACK… BACK AGAIN
There are two notable absences in the paint as Honorable Mention All-CUSA selection Ene Adams was joined by 6-foot-5 Femme Sikuzani Masudi as the two key departures from last year. However, nearly every rotational guard and wing will be back in action in 2024-25, with 75.66% of the 2023-24 point production still on the roster. Additionally, the returning Aggies accounted for 85.14% of all assists and 97.71% of 3-pointers made (128 of 131) a season ago.
ONE LAST RIDE
This iteration of the Aggies revolves around fifth-year Aggie legend Molly Kaiser. The Watauga, Texas native exercised her extra year of eligibility that she earned from the NCAA’s response to COVID-19, electing to spend her fifth and final campaign with the Crimson & White. In 2023-24, Kaiser led the Aggies in games played (31), games started (31), points (463), points per game (14.9), minutes per game (34.2), field goals made (165), free throws made (107) and free-throw percentage (86.3).
Last season, Kaiser drove and buried a patented elbow jumper shot to give her 1,000 career points, with every bucket coming as a member of the Crimson & White. She became the 25th member of the 1,000-point club, and the first since Gia Pack, who played for the Aggies from 2016-2020.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
UTSA is led by first-year Head Coach Brenda Nichols, after four seasons under the direction of Josh Pace. Last season, the Mustangs finished 9-18 overall with a 4-18 mark in Lone Star Conference play. Western NM fell to dropped each of its first three contests to open the season before a road contest at New Mexico last Friday in what was an exhibition for the visitors. The Lobos took the matchup by a score of 85-56 while Nxerro Maluw led the way for Western NM with 11 points and two rebounds.
This season, Jade Goynes has been the first option, pacing the team in points (15.0), rebounds (6.5), assists (2.3) and steals (1.8) per night. Goynes did not face off against the Aggies or Lobos last season as she endured a two-game absence.
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