New Mexico State women beat UT Arlington on Senior Night
LAS CRUCES - The New Mexico State women's basketball team beat Texas Arlington 69-60 on Thursday at the Pan American Center in a game between two teams in the middle of the pack of the Western Athletic Conference.
NM State improved to14-14 overall and 9-7 in WAC play with a win on senior night. The Aggies close the regular season next week on the road at second-place Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday and Sam Houston State on Thursday.
Sam Houston State and NM State are two of four teams within two games of each other in spots 5-8 in the WAC standings entering the final week of the regular season. The Aggies haven't played SFA yet this season and they beat Sam Houston State 69-48 at home on Jan. 12.
NM State led from wire to wire, outscoring UTA 16-5 in the second quarter for a 30-17 halftime lead. Sylena Peterson hits a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half for a 30-17 halftime lead. The Aggies shot 46 percent in the first half and UTA (7-9 WAC) was 26 percent in the half and 44 percent for the game.
The Aggies scored the first eight points of the game, but UTA closed to within two points after the first quarter. Aggies forward Ene Adams had a put back that sparked a 10-0 Aggies run. Adams (12 points, eight rebounds) fed Ashlee Strawbridge for a shot jumper.
A Molly Kaiser jumper opened a 20-point lead early in the third quarter. Kaiser finished with 27 points on 8 of 16 shooting and hitting all 11 of her free throw attempts as UTA made the game close in the fourth quarter.
The Aggies led 49-32 entering the fourth quarter, but UTA closed to within six points in the fourth quarter. Kaiser hit a pair of free throws with 1:53 to play and Taylor Donaldson hit two free throws with 51 seconds left and two more with 39.7 seconds left as the Aggies were 20 for 26 from the free throw line.
NM State shot 46 percent in the second half. They had 19 second chance points and scored 12 points off of UTA turnovers.
Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico State women beat UT Arlington on Senior Night
