EL PASO, Texas – The New Mexico State women's basketball team traveled to take on Texas Southern in the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic at the Don Haskins Center on Friday afternoon. The Aggies fell to the Lady Tigers 66-50 to open the tournament.

NM State (2-3) began the contest with an 8-0 run in the first quarter. The Aggies lead dwindled late when TSU (1-3) scored eight–straight to tie the game at 14-14. Monique Mills hit a three-pointer with less than a minute remaining in the opening period, putting NM State ahead 17-14 at the break.

New Mexico State fell behind early as the Lady Tigers went on a five-point run to start the second quarter. Mills ended the Texas Southern rally by nailing a three-pointer and converting her free-throw on the play. The back-and-forth action continued but NM State maintained a single-point advantage as the team went to the locker room leading 25-24.

The Aggies started the second half on a seven-point run with Gia Pack hitting back-to-back jumpers and Brooke Salas nailing a shot from behind the arc. The Lady Tigers did not go away quietly as the team closed the gap back to a pair of points with 4:58 left in the period. NM State surged back with a Salas scoring 10-straight points for the Aggies and at the end of the third quarter, the New Mexico State squad held the 46-34 edge.

In the fourth quarter, NM State collapsed as TSU posted a 13-2 run to bring the Aggies advantage to a single point. A three-pointer by the Lady Tigers put New Mexico State behind 50-48 late in the game but a steal and layup by Salas tied the contest with 3:18 remaining. The layup proved to be the final basket the Aggies converted and Texas Southern ended the game on a 16-0 run, handing NM State the 66-50 loss.

New Mexico State was led on offensively by Salas, who posted 23 points for the Aggies. Pack recorded her second double-double of the season when she tallied 10 rebounds and 10 points. Mills was the third player from NM State to post double-figures in points with 11 total points in the game.

The Aggies continue play at the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic by facing Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 12 p.m. (MT).