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Molly Kaiser earns national accolade for the second time this season after averaging 29.5 points last week.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Louis Bolander
Photo: Courtesy
INDIANAPOLIS – For the second time this season, Molly Kaiser has been named on the NCAA Starting Five Roster – an award granted to the top five performers of the week across the nation in women’s college basketball. This comes just one day after Kaiser hauled in her fourth Conference USA Player of the Week honor.
In the Aggies’ first matchup last week, Molly Kaiser sunk 11 field goals along with flushing a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity stripe to record 28 points on FIU while picking up two steals and a defensive rebound in the process. Her incredible shooting performance, which included a wild contested step-back fade away in the third quarter, rallied her a team a 24 point victory over the Panthers.
In her second matchup, she scored a massive 31 points for the Aggies as they took on Liberty. This is now the fourth time in the 2024/25 season that she has finished with 30+ points in a single game as she continues to lead the conference in scoring. The Watuaga, Texas, native has now moved up to ninth on the national rankings list in points per game (22.1) and seventh nationally ranked in total points (397). While Knocking down her 10 field goals on Saturday, Kaiser also went 10-for-11 at the line. This is the first time in nearly five years that an Aggie has made 10 free throws in a single game (January 30, 2020). Molly now also sits in seventh nationally and first in the conference in free throws made, having scored 109 thus far this season.
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While shooting lights out for the Aggies over Liberty, Kaiser also picked up three assists, two steals, and a defensive rebound against the Flames. Her ability to grab boards as a point gaurd has placed her in 15th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (2nd in CUSA).
Kaiser was joined on the list by Texas’ Madison Booker, West Virginia’s JJ Quinerly, UTSA’s Jordyn Jenkins and Boston College’s T’Yana Todd. Kaiser squared off against Texas’ Booker earlier in the season, but the Aggies came up short in that match up, 50-90.
Up Next: Aggies Head to Georgia to Take On Kennesaw State
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State will head on the road this week on a two-game trip to take on both Kennesaw State and Jax State. The first matchup will take place in the KSU Convocation Center as the Aggies look to bounce back from their home loss against Liberty last Saturday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Who: NM State (10-8, 3-2 CUSA) vs Kennesaw State(6-10, 1-4 CUSA)
- Where: KSU Convocation Center – Kennesaw, Ga.
- When: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, at 5:00 PM MT
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
- All-Time Series Record: Tied 0-0
- Last Meeting: Never met
How did Molly Kaiser get here? 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 over 1,600 points across her career and is now eighth all-time in scoring for the Aggies in program history and is just 37 points shy of moving into seventh all-time.
In addition to earning NCAA “Starting 5” honors, last week, Kaiser was named Conference USA Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after dropping 31 points against Liberty. With the standout performance, Kaiser now ranks eighth in the nation in points per game (22.1) and 10th in total points (397). Including her 28-point outing against FIU last Thursday, Kaiser is also responsible for the four highest scoring performances in league play this season.
The Aggies are not a one dimensional team. Fans should keep their eye on Fanta Gassama, as well. Gassama holds the only four double-doubles by an Aggie so far this season. She currently ranks 42nd in Division I with 9.5 rebounds per game and third in Conference USA. Gassama produced a notable game against I-25 rival New Mexico, tallying a season high of 13 rebounds while also scoring nine points.
The Aggies currently sit in third within CUSA in both points per game (68.5) and 47.6 field goals per game, led by senior Molly Kaiser who is first with her 22.1 points per game mark. She has also helped contribute to the team’s steal per game mark as the Aggies also rank third in the conference as they average 10.5 steals per game.
On defense, NM State ranks third in the conference in steals per game (10.7), which has led the team to force 45 total turnovers during league play to rank third in the conference in turnovers per game.
The Aggies are tied for second in the conference in team defense in CUSA play, allowing 61.8 points per game. On the contrary, Kennesaw State ranks dead last and is allowing conference opponents to score an average of 71.0 points per game.
LAST WEEK, Kaiser finished with a 28-point game to give the Aggies a 24-point win over FIU. The Aggies’ 16 steals in the matchup are the team’s second most this season and most against a Division I opponent. NM State held the Panthers to their second-lowest point total (50) of the season. Their one 3-point make was also the fewest this season for the Panthers while the Aggies also limited the Panthers to their lowest 3-point percentage of the season.
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE: Leading the Owls in her fourth season at Kennesaw State as head coach is Octovia Blue. In her coaching career, Blue has notched 41 wins at the helm of the Kennesaw State program.
The Owls currently sit with a 1-4 record after their loss to LA Tech on Saturday.
Leading Kennesaw State in scoring this season is Prencis Harden who averages 16.3 points per game. She is also currently ranked eighth in the nation and first in the conference in rebounds per game (11.1).
