NMSU women ready to take on CUSA leader Middle Tennessee
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – On the heels of the most exciting win of the season, NM State will now welcome the toughest opponent of the year to the Pan American Center. Stout defense in the final moments from the Crimson & White proved key in a highly-contested rivalry matchup with UTEP on Saturday. Up next for the Aggies is a duel with Middle Tennessee (19-4, 9-0). The Lady Raiders were unanimously picked to finish first in the CUSA Preseason Poll, and won 85-48 when NM State played in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Jody Adams and her squad will look to keep their three-game home winning streak rolling against the league’s top team.
How to Follow
Who: Middle Tennessee (19-4, 9-0 CUSA) at NM State (10-12, 4-5 CUSA)
Where: Pan American Center – Las Cruces, NM
When: Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 at 6:00 PM MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: nmstatestats.com
All-Time Series Record: MTSU leads 4-2
Last Meeting: NM State 48 @ MTSU 85 (Jan. 20, 2024)
Where the Aggies Stand
In Saturday’s 98th all-time meeting of UTEP and NM State, the Aggies came out on top by a score of 66-59. The home team got out to a blazing hot start, leading 19-9 after the first quarter. The lead eventually swelled to 16 early in the third quarter, but the Miners stormed back. UTEP cut the margin to five with four minutes remaining, before Jaila Harding nailed a clutch 3-pointer on the next possession.
Molly Kaiser, with five points in the fourth quarter and 15 on the day, produced her most impactful play of the game with 31 seconds remaining. Down by six, UTEP’s Ivane Tensaie pulled up from beyond the arc, but Kaiser blocked the shot for an Ene Adams defensive rebound that sealed the win for the Crimson & White.
Now, NM State turns to Middle Tennessee in hopes to avenge its worst loss of the season nearly a month prior. In Murfreesboro, the Lady Raiders went on a 20-0 run across the first and second quarters to take a commanding 26-5 lead. From that point on, the Aggies couldn’t muster up enough momentum in a tough road environment to make the deficit more manageable.
Home Sweet Home
The Conference USA schedule has included 42 games through Feb. 8, 2024. Road teams now have a 14-28 record in those games. The conference’s top two seeds (Middle Tennessee and FIU) are a combined 8-1 away from home, with the one loss being FIU at Middle Tennessee. The league’s other seven teams have combined for just six road wins in 33 tries. In games outside the Pan American Center, NM State is 4-9, with a 2-8 road record and wins in two of three neutral games.
Old Reliable
There have been two Aggies to start all 22 games this season. Every opening tip has been taken by Ene Adams, who has put forth a career year. The senior is sinking 52.6 percent of her shots en route to averaging 7.4 points per game in just 21.9 average minutes of action. Adams also paces the Aggies in total rebounds with 111, 39 of which have come on the offensive end. Molly Kaiser has been the other senior in every starting five of 2023-24. The fourth-year Aggie has improved in nearly every offensive statistic from a year prior. Kaiser has already made more 3-pointers this season (19) than last (12), and has drastically improved her 3-point percentage to 36.5 percent (+11.5). Additionally, the Watauga, Texas native has canned 85.4 percent of her free-throw attempts to bolster her career-high 14.7 points per game.
1K MK
With 1:12 remaining in the third quarter at Middle Tennessee on Jan. 20, Watauga, Texas native Molly Kaiser employed one of her patented moves – driving down the left side of the lane before pulling up for an elbow jumper – burying the shot to give her six points in the quarter. The play held extra significance as it gave Kaiser 1,000 career points, with every bucket coming as a member of the Crimson & White.
Kaiser became the 25th member of the 1,000-point club, and the first since Gia Pack, who played for the Aggies from 2016-2020.
Jaila’s Jumpers
Transferring in from Butler CC in El Dorado, Kansas, junior guard Jaila Harding has been a spark on offense for the Crimson & White, especially from the 3-point line. Last season, the Aggies ranked 328th in the nation from beyond the arc, shooting just 26.1 percent. Through 22 games in the 2023-24 season, this has jumped to 32.8 percent, while ranking 108th in the nation.
Among members with at least 2.0 made deep balls per game, Harding paces the Aggies and is second in CUSA with a 36.2 3-point percentage. The Wichita, Kan. native ranks 98th individually by 3-point percentage and is fourth in the conference with 2.09 made threes per contest.
Sabou’s Swipes
Junior guard Sabou Gueye has seen massive improvement through her second season with NM State, taking significant leaps in minutes per game (+11.6), free-throw percentage (+25.8), rebounds per game (+1.7) and points per game (+4.3).
The Senegal native’s most impactful improvement has come on the defensive end. Totaling 16 steals in 34 games during the 2022-23 campaign, Gueye has already posted 36 steals in just 21 contests, good for 1.7 steals a game. This ranks fifth in the conference and 218th nationally.
Scouting the Lady Raiders
MTSU is led by 19th-year Head Coach Rick Insell, who possesses a 452-155 record with the program. Under Insell, the Lady Raiders have advanced to 11 NCAA Tournaments and 17 consecutive postseason berths. The team has earned trips to nine CUSA Championship games with wins in four (2014, 2016, 2021, 2023).
When preparing for MTSU, NM State first looks at the point of attack; Savannah Wheeler. The CUSA Preseason Player of the Year is a remarkable playmaker, boasting over 2,000 career points and averaging 5.0 assists per game in 2023-24. Last time out against the Aggies, Wheeler went for 30 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. She converted on 13 of 14 free throw attempts as part of a controlling victory for the home team.
Wheeler’s first option on the pick-and-roll is a dangerous one; 6-foot-6 Anastasiia Boldyreva. The Moscow native is a physical presence in the paint, but is also second on the team with a 40.9 3-point percentage. At her stature, she is fifth in Division I with 70 total blocks this season, which is 42 more than NM State has combined for in 2023-24. Boldyreva contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a pair of assists in the Jan. 20 meeting with the Aggies. She was 8-for-10 from the floor and hit one of two attempts from beyond the arc.
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