LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The NM State women's basketball team will play the first game of a double-header at the Pan American Center on Tuesday at 5 p.m. against Southern Utah.
 
The Aggie men will play Robert Morris following the women's game with a scheduled tip of 7:30 p.m. (MT).
 
Adam Young will have the call for NM State on KRUX 91.5 FM with Albert Luna serving as the analyst.
 
LINKS: Live Stats | Live Audio | Tickets | @NMStateWBB | @SUUThunderbirds
 
SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS
Southern Utah is coming off a close loss to UC Irvine at home last week, 63-58. The loss put the Thunderbirds at 0-3 on the year heading into Tuesday's contest. SUU was led by junior forward Jessica Richardson who had a game-high 15 points and 11 boards against the Anteaters. The T-Birds other forward, Emma Weinreich, also chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting before fouling out.
 
Breanu Reid currently leads Southern Utah with 12.3 points per game while Richardson is second with 12 points per game. Reid, a 5-7 freshman guard, also leads the team in 3-point shooting with a .455 average. Richardson has been a force for the Thunderbirds on the boards, averaging 11 rebounds. Surprisingly enough, Reid is third on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game. Weinriech stands in second with 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
SUU also played another WAC opponent prior to Tuesday's match up in Utah Valley. The Wolverines outlasted the Thunderbirds 70-58 in Orem, Utah. Despite SUU making one more field goal than Utah Valley, the difference in the game was free-throw shooting. Southern Utah was just 7-of-14 from the line while UVU was 22-27. The Wolverines also took advantage of the Thunderbirds' turnovers, converting 16 turnovers for a whopping 22 points.
 
Statistically, the Aggies lead the Thunderbirds in almost every category. NM State is averaging 79 points while Southern Utah has given up an average of 70.7 points to teams so far this season. The Aggies average 11.3 steals per game while the T-Birds turn the ball over 12.7 times per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In a game that was filled with turnovers and fast-paced offenses, it was free-throw shooting that served as the catalyst to NM State edging Sacramento State 80-77 at the Pan Am last Thursday.
 
Reigning Western Athletic Conference MVP, Brianna Freeman, put up a double-double on the night, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with her 12 boards in the win. Freeman also put away a pair of critical free throws and came down with a pair of rebounds in the final minute of play to help the Aggies.
 
Tamera William joined Freeman in the double-double party with 14 points and 10 boards, thanks to an 8-of-9 effort at the line.
 
Freeman and William became the first NM State pair to tally double-doubles in a game since Jan. 15 of 2015 against CSU Bakersfield.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
As of Sunday morning, NM State is one of 89 undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I women's basketball. The Aggies are also 11th in the nation with 7.0 blocks per game. Brianna Freeman is 35th in the nation with her 2.67 blocks per game and first in the WAC. NM State's 77.4 free-throw percentage ranks 35th in the nation and is good for tops in the conference.
 
Despite being outshot 90-70, the Aggies were able to come out on top over Sacramento State thanks to its stout free-throw shooting. NM State was 21-of-26 from the line while the Hornets were just 6-of-12 from the line.
 
As a team, the Aggies shot 40 percent from the floor as a team compared to Sacramento State's 34.4 percent shooting. The Hornets started the game hot, firing in a 43.2 shooting percentage in the first half. However, they cooled down significantly in the second half and shot just 26.1 percent from the floor where as NM State went from shooting 38.1 percent in the first half to 42.9 in the second half.
 
Sacramento State netted 30 points off 31 NM State turnovers, but a 46-32 advantage by the Aggies in the paint offset the difference.
 
Because of Sacramento State's fast-paced and aggressive style of play, they also committed twice as many fouls as NM State (30-15).
 
WRITING THEIR OWN STORY
The 2015-16 NM State women's basketball team continues to write its own story for the year, becoming the first team since the 2007-08 (4-0) team to start the year off 3-0. Prior the 2007-08 season, the last time NM State started the year off like that was back in 1993-94 when the team reeled off eight-straight wins before losing their first game of the season. Both teams went on to win 22-plus games.
 
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER Z
Sophomore Zaire Williams came off the bench and nearly had a double-double. The Dana Point, Calif., product dished out eight dimes to go with her eight points, six steals and six rebounds to help the Aggies down the stretch against Sacramento State. The eight assists by Williams was also a new career-high. Head coach Mark Trakh believed she was the impact player of the game against the Hornets, being the most stable guard for the Aggies against Sacramento State's pressure.
 
THE WILLIAM WAY
Junior Tamera William has been on a tear for NM State early on in the 2015-16 season. The 5-9 guard is averaging 17 points thanks to a 47.2 field-goal percentage. The Las Vegas, Nev., product is also 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and 14-of-18 from the charity stripe to go with her five steals, four blocks and 18 rebounds. William also tallied her first-career double-double this past Thursday when she netted 14 points and 10 boards against Sacramento State.
 
In the season-opener against North Dakota State, she paced the Aggies with a career-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. William then followed it up with a game-high 18 points to help guide NM State past in-state rival, New Mexico, for the second-straight time in two years – the first time NM State has won back-to-back games against UNM since the 1995-96 season.
 
SALAS SHINES
Freshman Brooke Salas has taken full advantage of the opportunity as a starter for NM State. The Placentia, Calif., product opened her Aggie career with 10 points against North Dakota State in a hostile road game and nearly had a triple-double. She also finished with eight boards and seven steals.
 
The 5-10 guard followed up with a 13 point showing against New Mexico in NM State's home-opening rivalry match. Her final line included four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Salas is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10 points and 5.3 rebounds.
 
PAN AM LOVE
After Thursday's win, the Aggies have now won 14-straight games at the Pan American Center and looks to continue that streak when they tip-off against Southern Utah at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
 
The last time NM State lost at home was almost a year ago to the date. That loss came against Cal State Fullerton in a 66-51 affair on Nov. 29.
 
That loss, however, catapulted the Aggies to a 22-3 run to end the 2014-15 season.
 
WEBER MOVING ON UP
Sasha Weber, a 6-0 senior guard, continues to leave her mark in the record books as she moved into 16th all-time in scoring for the Aggies. With her 13 points this past Thursday against Sacramento State, the Lacey, Wash., product now has 1,180 points in her career. She's 17 points shy of passing Mari Sanchez (1,196, 1990-2003), a Las Cruces native that played at Onate High School, for 15th place.
 
Weber recently passed Ann McReynolds (1,162, 1975-1978) and Donna Goggin (1,163, 1975-79) last Tuesday when collected 16 points versus New Mexico.
 
With 24 games remaining in the regular season, Weber has an opportunity crack the top 10 and could possibly be in the top six if her scoring average stays within the range of years past.
 
With her block last Tuesday, Weber is now in sole possession of No. 10 in career blocks with 66.
 
WHAT'S ON TAP
The five-game homestand continues for the NM State women's basketball team next week when it plays host to the Aggie Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 27-28. The four-team tournament consists of Long Beach State, Northern Arizona, Northwestern State and host, NM State.
 
The Aggies will first take on Northwestern State at 1 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 27) before LBSU and NAU faces off in a neutral match at the Pan Am Center. On Saturday (Nov. 28), Northwestern State and LBSU squares off in the afternoon before NM State takes the floor against Northern Arizona at 7 p.m.