New Mexico State women’s basketball (7-3) earned a two-game sweep over rival New Mexico (4-5) this past weekend. The Aggies first beat the Lobos 81-71 in Albuquerque last Friday and again 68-60 in Las Cruces on Sunday.
The two wins helped NM State earn a three-game sweep over UNM across men’s and women’s basketball after the Aggies’ men’s team took down the Lobos 89-83 on the road in overtime last Saturday. It’s the first time NM State’s men’s and women’s teams swept UNM together since the 1994-95 season.
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Dec. 6: New Mexico State 81, New Mexico 71
The first game saw the Aggies surge in the second half at The Pit to earn their first road victory against the Lobos since 2015.
NM State trailed 22-18 at the end of the first quarter, but took a 36-35 lead into halftime thanks to stronger defense in the second quarter. UNM made only 29.4% of its shots in the second quarter compared to 61.5% in the first frame. The Aggies’ offense remained fierce and drained 55.6% of their first-half field goals.
NM State went off in the third quarter, outscoring the Lobos 25-16 in the frame. Senior guard Sylena Peterson scored 10 points in the quarter and fellow senior guard Loes Rozing made all four of her shots and added nine points in the third. UNM made only four of its 12 attempts in the third as the Aggies’ defense remained sturdy. An even 20-20 fourth quarter saw NM State coast to a 10-point victory.
Senior guard Molly Kaiser led the way with 25 points on 7-for-9 shooing. Rozing also went 7-for-9 from the floor and tallied 17 points and Peterson added 17 more. Senior forward Fanta Gassama grabbed 13 rebounds.
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Dec. 8: New Mexico 60, New Mexico State 68
The Aggies finished the weekend home-and-home series by completing their sweep at home.
The first half was tightly contested. NM State held a slim 18-15 lead after the first quarter and led only 33-32 at halftime after UNM’s Destinee Hooks cut the Lobos’ deficit to one point on a layup with five seconds left in the half. UNM gained the upper hand in the third quarter, taking a 49-46 lead into the fourth after the Aggies made only five of their 19 third-quarter shots.
However, it was all NM State in the fourth quarter. The Aggies started the frame on a 9-2 run and outscored the Lobos 22-11 in the final 10 minutes, making eight of their final 15 shots. Kaiser scored nine points in the fourth quarter, while Peterson added six before the final buzzer.
Kaiser and Hooks went toe-to-toe, with the latter finishing with 27 points. Kaiser ended the game with 30 points, giving her a total of 55 against the Lobos over the weekend. She received Conference USA Player of the Week honors for her performances. Gassama tallied a double-double on Sunday with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Recapping NM State women’s basketball’s games against rival New Mexico
