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Game nine
NM State (3-6, 0-0 WAC) vs. SAGU American Indian College (1-12)
Tuesday, Dec 28th | 2 p.m. (MT) | Pan American Center (12,572) | Las Cruces, NM
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Opening tip
• After a 10-day hiatus, the Aggies will be back in action on Tuesday afternoon when they host the Arizona-based SAGU American Indian College Warriors at the Pan American Center.
• With a 3-6 record in the competition, NM State will attempt to return to the Victory Column in its last competition before the WAC game.
• This will be the first ever meeting between the Aggies and the Warriors.
• Despite falling behind in the last two games, the Aggies have lost just six points overall, including four points in overtime against UTEP on December 15th.
• The year was a lot of fun as the Aggies still have a positive profit margin with a record of 3-6 for the year.
• Head Coach Brooke Atkinson has her team in attack mode as the Aggie Defense averages 18.2 forced ball losses per game, ranking fourth in the conference in this category.
• On the offensive, the duo Bigue Sarr and Taylor Donaldson were two of the most efficient goalscorers in the WAC, as Sarr is sixth in the league with a field goal percentage of 53.5 and Donaldson is ninth (0.521). NM State joins Utah Valley as the only two schools in the WAC with two players in the top nine for field goal percentage in the conference.
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• The Warriors travel to Las Cruces as winners of just one game this season, setting an overall record of 1-12.
• The only SAGU win came at the season opener on October 21, 2021 when they beat Bethesda (56:46) in Anaheim, California.
• The Warriors are led by their point guard Christin Bahe, who leads the team on points (11.4), assists (2.5), steals (2.2) and game minutes (25.5).
• Freshman Alyssa Matthews is one of SAGU’s biggest threats as she shoots 30 percent from outside and averages just under a triple per game.
• In their last two appearances, the Warriors were beaten with 92-176 points when they fell against Benedictine Mesa and Hope International.
• Like the Aggies, the Warriors have been free for the past ten days, since they last spoke on December 18.
Last time from | Weber state 65, NM state 63 | Saturday, Dec 18, 2021
• In a third violent thrill, the Aggies fell two Saturdays ago as they approached the Wildcats.
• After eight points behind with only 6:49 minutes left, the Aggies fought to get two points within 31 seconds. NM State got the stop it needed but was unable to convert in the final three-seconds to take the win.
• Second-year Taylor Donaldson was the Aggies’ top scorer for a second straight game, taking 16 points in 26 minutes.
• Bigue Sarr looked like herself again and finished second on the evening’s points table with 12 points behind Donaldson.
• The Aggies also took eight points each from Molly Kaiser and Tayelin Grays, while Soufia Inoussa was the best rebounder of the night with seven boards.
• The Wildcats front runner was Kori Pentzer, who finished 6 out of 14 with 18 points. Two of Pentzer’s teammates also hit double digits when Jadyn Matthews and Emma Torbert registered 12 and 10 respectively.
Next
The Aggies reach conference play after meeting the Warriors. The first WAC test of the 2021-22 season will take place on Thursday, December 30th, at home against the Redhawks of Seattle U. With a competition against Chicago State scheduled for January 1, the Aggies will complete their group of three games for just five days.
Sprint out of the gate
The Aggies defeated West New Mexico in the season opener by a margin of 54 points. This was her first 50-point win since last November when she derailed Park Gilbert (92-38). Also, five Aggies earned double-digit points for the first time since November 26, 2018, when they did so in a win over northern New Mexico.
In the Blowout victory, the Aggies were led by Molly Kaiser, who ended with a career high of 18 points. Oklahoma State Transfer Bigue Sarr also had a productive night, scoring 16 points and hitting six boards in just 16 minutes. ‘
Highlights 2020-21
– The regular season ended with a winning streak of three games.
– Aaliyah Prince was named Second Team All-WAC and received WAC All-Defensive Team Awards.
– Beat Seattle U in the opening round of the WAC No. 5 tournament when Shania Harper posted a season high of 15 points.
Sights on Six
NM State will pursue its sixth WAC regular season title since the 2014-15 season. The Aggies have played 80-18 in conference play for the past seven seasons.
Tips for the preseason
NM State was selected to finish seventh in the WAC coach poll, while the media picked the Aggies in sixth place this season.
The WAC media also selected junior guard Soufia Inoussa to the list of the second team All-WAC.
Bring the hardware home
After her final season with the Aggies, Aaliyah Prince received the awards Second Team All-WAC and WAC All-Defensive Team. Prince finished the season 11th in the league in steals per game and 13th in points per game.
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