LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Riding an 11-game winning-streak, the New Mexico State women's basketball team returns home to the friendly confines of the Pan American Center to face Chicago State at 2 p.m. (MT) on Saturday for its annual Play4Kay game.
 
As usual, Adam Young will have the call for Aggie fans while Patrick Knapp serves as the analyst in this week's WAC Digital Game of the Week.
 
CHICAGO STATE LINKS: Live Stream | Live Stats | @NMStateWBB | @ChicagoStateWBB
 
#PLAY4KAY
NM State will have its annual "Pink" game on Saturday, Feb. 13, against Chicago State in recognition of those that have been affected by cancer. Fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink in support of those battling cancer or those who have lost a family member in their battle with the disease. Those that want to make a donation to the cause can find more information on the Kay Yow Fund website at www.KayYow.com.
 
FREE CLINIC
The NM State women's basketball team will be hosting its second FREE kids clinic on Saturday, Feb. 13, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. (MT) before its game against Chicago State. All participants will also get free admission into the game at 2 p.m. For more information and how to sign up for the FREE kids clinic, click here.
 
CHICAGO ON THE BALL
Saturday's WAC Digital Network Game of the Week will pit the Cougars against the Aggies at 2 p.m. (MT).  NM State has won 28 of its last 29 games at the Pan American Center.
 
The last time these two teams squared off in the Windy City, the Cougars played the Aggies tough before free throws down the stretch saw NM State come out on top 70-60.
 
Since then, Chicago State has reeled off two wins; one coming off of UMKC in double-overtime and the other against Seattle U.
 
Layne Murphy continues to lead the Cougars with 12.5 points per game while Kaylee Allen checks in with 11.6 points per game. However, the roles are flip-flopped in conference play with Allen on top at 12.7 points per game to Murphy's 10.9 points per game.
 
Murphy also paces the team with 8.8 boards per game, which is also good for second in the conference. She's also been seeing the basket very well in conference playing, knocking down 50-percent of her shots (30-for-60).
 
Allen went off for 28 points in Chicago State's last game against CSU Bakersfield, shooting .500 from the floor (11-of-22) to go with eight rebounds.
 
Sh'Toya Sanders is third on the team in scoring with 8.3 points per game and shooting a team-best .473 from the floor. She's also second on the team with a 6.1 rebounds average.
 
Jasmine Sanders (51), Konnor Harris (41) and Murphy (53) have teamed up to register 145 of the team's 241 assists.
 
LOPING AROUND
The Aggies opened the second-half of conference play with a bang at Grand Canyon last week, blasting the Lopes 64-44 on their home floor. Senior Shanice Davis paved the way for NM State, scoring 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor – including a 3-for-3 night from beyond the arc.  She also went 4-4 from the line to go with her four rebounds and two steals. Moriah Mack chipped in with 13 points while Brooke Salas added 11 points and eight boards in the lop-sided win.
 
#MACKATTACK
Thanks to the spectacular play of junior guard Moriah Mack, NM State escaped an upset at Utah Valley with a 59-53 win last Saturday. Mack started a 13-2 run for NM State to end the final 2:26 of the game with seven-straight points, including the go-ahead buckets. The 5-8 guard finished with 15-points, seven boards, two assists and a steal. She was 7-of-14 from the floor and 1-2 from deep. Her triple in the fourth quarter was instrumental in NM State rallying back from its second-largest deficit of the year (9).
 
Sasha Weber also finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, three of which came from deep, to go with four boards and four steal while Brianna Freeman added 12 points.
 
NM State's defense also played an integral role in the comeback, forcing 10 UVU turnovers for 17 points and held the Wolverines to a measly six points in the fourth quarter to the Aggies' 21.
 
GETTING STREAKY
The win on Saturday over Utah Valley marked the 11th-straight victory for NM State, tying it for the third-longest streak in program history. The two other times happened during the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons.
 
The first streak started on Jan. 14, 1987, in a 79-42 shellacking of Eastern New Mexico and ended on Feb. 19, 1987, at Utah (77-63). The second streak started on Nov. 28, 1987, in a 75-68 win over Washington State and ended at Pepperdine (77-73) on Jan. 9, 1988.
 
A win on Saturday will extend NM State's streak to 12 wins, tying it for the second-longest streak in program history. The 12-game win-streak will tie the 2014-15 and 1976-77 squads.
 
NM State's longest winning-streak is 15 games, which was set during the latter half of the 1988 season and was then broken in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Washington on March 19, 1988 – an 85-74 loss.
 
COUNTING DOWN
With five games remaining and a three-game lead over second-place UTRGV, NM State needs two more wins or a win Saturday coupled with a UTRGV loss to clinch a share of the regular-season title. Should both teams win Saturday, NM State will need to win two of its remaining four games to claim the regular-season outright.