Womens Basketball: Aggies Take Game 1 in Weekend I-25 Rivalry

Four Players Finish in Double Figures

Source: NMSU Athletics
By Louis Bolander
Photo: Courtesy

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The New Mexico State Women’s Basketball battled today in this season’s first 1-25 rivalry game matchup. The Aggies were able to clinch the win over the Lobos 81-71 after taking the lead in the middle of the 2nd Quarter.

Four players scored phenomenally well for NM State including Molly Kaiser (25 pts), Loes Rozing (17 pts), Sylena Peterson (17 pts), and Madi Gewirtz (11). Both Kaiser and Rozing went 7-9 on FG attempts and 2-3 with a deep stroke. Five players came off the floor with 50% FG or higher.

Once again, Fanta Gassama worked her magic in the paint as she finished with a total of 13 boards (1 offensive, 12 defensive). Closing in on a triple double, she finished one pt and one assist shy of being the first Aggie this season to earn that accomplishment.

NM State scrapped 3 passes from the Lobos and finished with 33 rebounds altogether. As a team, they managed to shoot at least 50% from the arc in the first three Quarters. One area they have yet to succeed in this year is at the line, only finishing at 62.5% compared to the Lobos 73.7%.

The Aggies started off cold in the first couple of minutes and allowed the Lobos to take an early advantage. However, with a few intelligent defensive stops and rhythmic shooting, they found themselves only trailing by one in the first Quarter. The team took advantage of the Lobos slump in the 2nd Quarter and jumped over their higher scoring performers. Both the 3rd and final Quarters would be seen as a catch up play-style for UNM.

A few times, UNM was able to trim the lead down from NM State as Vianè Cumber began to find her flow in the 2nd half. But this would ultimately not be enough for the Lobos as the Aggies were able to hold onto the possession of the game in the final minutes of play.

Up Next:

The Aggies will be back in action to face New Mexico for a second time this season this upcoming Friday, Dec. 8 as they look to earn the sweep in the I-25 rivalry matchup. Tip off will happen at 2 PM MST at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.

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

Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.