LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The top-seeded New Mexico State women's basketball team opens the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev. with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 Chicago State on March 7 at 7 p.m. MT.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
New Mexico State fans can catch all the action of the Aggies opening round in the WAC Tournament on ESPN3.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can also follow along with live stats for the quarterfinal contest on StatBroadcast.
 
LISTEN LIVE
Aggie fans can tune-in to 91.5 FM KRUX and listen to play-by-play action called by Adam Young or use the free TuneIn app on their phone or tablet by searching KRUX to listen.
 
GET CONNECTED
To stay connected with the women's basketball team and catch all of the up-to-date information and breaking news, follow the Aggies on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @NMStateWBB.
 
AGGIES RUN AWAY WITH HONORS
The Western Athletic Conference announced the All-WAC honors on March 5. Head coach Brooke Atkinson and the Aggies earned six individual accolades, including Atkinson for WAC Coach of the Year and Brooke Salas was named Player of the Year.
 
Coach Atkinson's first year at the helm saw her lead NM state to a 17-11 overall record and 11-3 mark in conference play. A win in the season finale earned the Aggies their fourth straight WAC Regular Season Championship, a conference record.
 
Behind Atkinson the Aggies led the WAC in field goal percentage (.422) and blocked shots (125). The team also led its competitors in free throw percentage (.761) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.290) during conference action.
 
Salas earned recognition as WAC Player of the Year and was also named to the All-WAC First-Team and Defensive Team. Salas was the leading scorer in conference play as the Aggies won their fourth consecutive WAC title. In addition to her WAC-best 18.4 points per game, the guard also led the league in steals during WAC play, averaging 2.6 per game.
 
The Placentia, Calif. native was also fourth in the conference in rebounding at 8.4 per game and her .865 free throw percentage was one of the top marks in the WAC. Salas shot .436 from three-point range, which was second in the league and her 1.7 blocks per game rank third.
 
Gia Pack joined Salas on the All-WAC First-Team after a phenomenal sophomore campaign. The guard averaged 15.5 points per game and led the Aggies with 8.5 rebounds in conference play. Pack started in all 14 WAC games for NM State and finished second in the conference in defensive rebounds (87).
 
Junior transfer Monique Mills was named to the WAC All-Newcomer Team following a standout season off the bench. With 14 appearances in conference action the Salt Lake City, Utah native averaged 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
The No. 8 seeded Cougars come into the Orleans Arena with a 1-28 overall record and 1-13 mark in WAC play. Chicago State has lost their last five contests after ending a 59-game losing streak to Utah Valley on Feb. 8.
 
CSU looks to a pair of scorers who averaged double-digit points in the regular season. Tyeshia Bowers led the way with 12.0 points per game in 28 starts. Phylicia Johnson comes in with 11.9 points per game.
 
On the glass the Cougars Ines Mata Boix leads the way with 8.2 rebounds per game and also has a team-high 57 blocks and 49 steals.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The New Mexico State women's basketball team hosted UT Rio Grande Valley at the Pan American Center for Senior Night in the regular season finale on March 3. After outscoring the Vaqueros 48-31 in the second half, the Aggies earned a 72-56 victory that won the team a record fourth straight Western Athletic Conference regular-season title.
 
The tide began to turn quickly as the second half opened. Brooke Salas led the Aggies on an 11-2 run, including three treys. This forced the Vaqueros to call a timeout just 2:56 into the third quarter with NM State leading 35-27.
 
After the timeout the Vaqueros were able to close the gap, but only for a moment as Gia Pack knocked down the Aggies final four baskets of the quarter to give the team a 48-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
This 10-point lead for NM State only expanded in the fourth quarter with the Aggies opening on a 15-3 run. After a media timeout, UTRGV was able to close the game on a 7-2 run of their own but NM State held a large lead and closed out the regular-season finale with a 72-56 victory.
 
At day's end Salas led the Aggies with her seventh double-double of the season that included a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. Monique Mills followed off the bench tying her season-high with 20 points and Gia Pack added 18.
 
UP NEXT
If the Aggies are able to take down the Cougars, the team advances to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament. The semifinal contest is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. MT and NM State would take on the winners of the Seattle U versus UMKC tilt.