LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's basketball teams first Western Athletic Conference game of the season pit the squad against the UMKC Roos on Thursday night. A tight game, reminiscent of the team's 78-74 overtime victory over the Roos last year, saw the team win a close one, 78-72.
 
After the hard-fought contest, head coach Mark Trakh said, "The team shot well and did a really good job on the offensive boards tonight. UMKC really ran their plays well and were very well-coached, but we just hung on and beat them at the end with solid team play."
 
The game opened up with each team trading baskets as NM State only led 7-5 midway through the first quarter. UMKC came out and finished the quarter with a 13-8 run, unfortunately, which put the team down 18-15 after 10 minutes. Brooke Salas and Moriah Mack led the scoring early as Salas had eight points and Mack put up five, in a quarter which saw five lead changes.
 
Coming out in the second quarter, the Aggies went on a 6-0 run to regain the lead early. Strong play from freshman Gia Pack in the quarter saw the guard haul in six rebounds and go three for five from three-point range to bring her first half point total to a team-leading, 13.
 
Team play in the first half saw the Aggies beat the Roos in second chance points (12-3) and points off the bench (16-6). The team struggled down low, however, getting outscored in the paint (24-10), which helped the opponent close out the first half ahead of NM State, 39-37.
 
When the Aggies emerged from the locker room, the third quarter saw the Aggies hit a rhythm from deep, going five for eight from three-point range. The hot shooting saw the team end the third quarter with 11 made three-point field goals which already topped the previous season-high of 10 put up against New Mexico Highlands on Nov. 25.
 
The best shooting quarter of the game for NM State featured the team hitting 10 of their 16 field goal attempts (62.5 FG pct.), as they outscored the Roos, 25-18, in the third. Heading into the final quarter, NM State led UMKC, 62-57.
 
Accurate shooting from both teams in the fourth quarter kept the score close all the way until the final minute. Fortunately, strong defense and solid free-throw shooting allowed NM State to hold on at the end as they won their first conference game of the season, 78-72.
 
At the end of the game, NM State led UMKC in second chance points (24-12), points off of turnovers (12-11), rebounds (37-31), made three-pointers (14-3) and forced turnovers (15-12). Solid team play was led by Moriah Mack who dropped a season-high 20 points, followed by Brooke Salas with 17 points and seven rebounds, Gia Pack with 16 points and a career-high eight rebounds and Zaire Williams who put up a season-high 12 points with a team-leading four assists.
 
The victory moves NM State to 9-6 on the year and 1-0 in the WAC. After one day off, the team will return to the Pan Am floor on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT to host conference foe, Chicago State.