Once again, it was Molly Kaiser’s night. It seems to be that way every night this season.
New Mexico State’s scoring maestro had another red-hot outing, scoring 32 points on 11-for-19 shooting in a 65-49 home win over UTEP on Saturday afternoon. The senior guard scored 20 in the second half to help the Aggies (9-7, 5-1 Conference USA) pull away from the Miners (8-6, 1-2) on efficient 8-for-11 shooting. Kaiser also performed on the defensive end with three steals.
There were plenty of highlights for Kaiser, but one of her best came at the 8:33 mark of the fourth quarter. As the Aggies attempted to build on a 48-38 lead, Kaiser put a crossover on a UTEP defender and sent her tumbling to the ground. From there, Kaiser nailed a mid-range shot from the free throw line.
Saturday was Kasier’s ninth game with 20 or more points this season, and she currently leads CUSA at 21.1 points per game.
The Aggies will stay at home for their next conference game against Florida International (7-8, 3-1) next Thursday at 6 p.m. The Panthers have found momentum in CUSA play after a difficult start to their season, but Kaiser has helped give NM State momentum heading into the contest.
Second quarter key for Aggies
NM State held a slim 13-11 lead after the first quarter, but pulled away in the second quarter.
The Aggies outscored the Miners 22-8 in the second quarter and held their opponents to just 3-for-10 shooting. Five NM State players scored a basket in the quarter, with fifth-year guard Diarrah Sissoko coming off the bench to score a team-high eight second-quarter points.
Sissoko also earned a near buzzer-beater to close out the first half, draining a 3-pointer with three seconds left to give the Aggies a 35-19 cushion.
Aggies force plenty turnovers, excel from range
NM State forced a CUSA fourth-best 327 turnovers heading into Saturday, and definitely won the turnover battle against the Miners.
The Aggies forced 27 UTEP turnovers and only committed 11 turnovers themselves. Those 27 Miners turnovers led to 27 NM State points, accounting for 41.5% of its total of 65.
The Aggies also won the 3-point battle by shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc, contrasting with an 18.2% mark for UTEP from the same range.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: What went right for New Mexico State women’s basketball against UTEP?
