LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State women's basketball team took on Battle of I-10 rival UTEP at the Pan American Center on Sunday afternoon. A 27-point second half from Brooke Salas led the Aggies to a 76-68 victory over the Miners.
 
Following the rivalry win head coach Brooke Atkinson said, "Tonight was a great team effort. UTEP was a bigger team but this win was about us and trusting ourselves which is how we approach every game. These young women did a great job and followed the game plan to a T."
 
Early in the game NM State (3-5) got going offensively with an 11-2 run which quickly put UTEP (5-3) down 11-5 just 5:42 into the contest. After a media timeout the Miners looked to cut into the Aggies lead but a pair of buckets in the final minute gave NM State a 19-14 lead at the end of one.
 
The score remained close with the Aggies and Miners trading baskets throughout the first seven minutes of action. Then UTEP knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to begin a 9-2 run to close out the first half and put NM State behind 34-33.
 
Monique Mills and Gia Pack led the way for the Aggies through two quarters with each putting up nine points and Zaire Williams added seven.
 
Despite trailing, the Aggies came out rejuvenated in the second half and opened on a 14-3 run to give the team a 47-37 lead at the 6:38 mark. NM State was 10-for-19 (52.6 percent) from the field in the third quarter and led the Miners 58-47 heading to the fourth.
 
The final 10 minutes opened with Salas knocking down three-straight triples to expand the Aggies lead to 67-52 just 3:09 into the fourth. Gia Pack then drove the lane for a bucket to give NM State a 14-point lead, forcing UTEP to call a timeout.
 
After the stoppage the Miners were able to close in to within eight, 73-65. This was the closest the Miners got in the closing minutes as Salas knocked down a free throw and then scored off a turnover to push the Aggies to a 76-68 victory in the Battle of I-10.
 
Salas led the team with a career-high 29 points, including going 6-for-7 from downtown. Pack added 15 points and a team-high six rebounds and Williams scored 14.
 
NM State played aggressively on defense and had 21 takeaways which gave them the edge over UTEP in points off turnovers, 23-7.
 
New Mexico State now travels to Tucson, Ariz. to take on the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday Dec. 14, at 11 a.m. MT.