LAS CRUCES, N.M. - In danger of succumbing to an upset-minded Western New Mexico squad, the New Mexico State women's basketball team turned to the one person the Mustangs were simply unable to stop.
Gia Pack.
Down by one in the early stages of the third quarter, Pack asserted herself in a big way by scoring the last eight points during a 10-2 Aggie run, amassed 19 of her game-high 26 points in the second half and as a result New Mexico State pulled away for a resounding 75-56 victory Wednesday night inside the Pan Am Center.
Put simply, Pack powered the Aggies to victory in the second half by pouring in 13 of the team's 19 points in the third quarter and an additional five in the final frame. At one point in the third, Pack scored eight consecutive points for the home team and the senior also netted five in a row to start her team's 14-0 game-clinching run to begin the fourth quarter.
FIRST QUARTER
• For the better part of the first quarter, it appeared as though the Aggies were primed for a runaway victory from the get-go. Soufia Inoussa generated six points during New Mexico State's 14-2 run through the first 4:03 of the frame and Adrianna Henderson's long ball with 4:15 left in the quarter handed the home team a 17-4 edge.
• The rest of the quarter, however, belonged to the Mustangs. Powered by the play of Alexis Jones and Alicia Mardis, Western New Mexico closed the quarter on a 12-0 run. Jones and Mardis accounted for all but two points during the Mustangs' strong surge that allowed them to close within one once the horn sounded.
• Most of the Mustangs' damage was done during that run which spanned the final 3:58 of the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
• Back-to-back three-pointers courtesy of Rachel Francisco and Paulina Rodriguez pushed the Mustangs in front for the first time, 22-19, and forced the Aggies to mount a comeback.
• Thanks to Pack, the Aggies were able to do so. The senior buried the first of her four three-pointers on the night to put the home team back up, 24-22, with 5:21 left in the frame. An Amanda Soderqvist layup extended New Mexico State's lead to 26-22, but Francisco capped a 5-0 Mustang surge with her second long ball of the quarter to put the Aggies at a 27-26 disadvantage with 2:23 left in the quarter.
• Pack broke a 28-all deadlock by drilling another downtown shot with 16 ticks remaining. That allowed the Aggies to take a 31-28 lead into their locker room at the break.
• Though they shot only 27.2-percent from the field in the quarter, the Mustangs slung in three of their five tries from long range to stay within striking distance.
THIRD QUARTER
• Mardis finished off a three-point play with a make at the foul line to give the Mustangs their final lead of the game, 34-33, 1:37 into the quarter. After that, however, Pack took over.
• Aaliyah Prince converted a mid-range jumped on the Aggies' ensuing possession to make sure her team wouldn't trail again before handing things over to Pack. Following a jumper by Alexis Jones that made the score 36-36, Pack scored the game's next seven points on a three-pointer, a layup and two free throws to post the Aggies ahead 43-36 at the midway point of the quarter.
• Pack netted her team's last five points of the quarter, too, with a three-point play followed up by a mid-range jumper that pushed the Aggies' lead out to 50-41 with less than one minute to go.
• The Mustangs' final field goal of the quarter trimmed New Mexico State's lead to 50-43 at the quarter break.
FOURTH QUARTER
• New Mexico State's knockout blow came in the form of a 14-0 run to start the final frame. Five different players registered points during the surge that spanned the first 3:27 of the quarter with Pack's five points leading the way.
• A fast break layup by Pack ended the run and hiked the Aggies' once small lead all the way to 64-43 with 6:33 left.
• The Aggies never looked back from there as the team's lead was pushed to as much as 25 after Rodrea Echols converted a mid-range jumper that made matters 75-50 with 2:32 remaining.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Pack's 26 represented a game-high while Inoussa and Echols chipped in 13 and 10 respectively to help the Aggies lock up their second victory of the season. Between those three, 18 of the Aggies' 30 field goals were represented.
• New Mexico State put in 49.2-percent (30-of-61) of its shots in the victory and held the Mustangs to a 19-of-51 (37.3-percent) clip from the field.
• Kaela Chavez put in a team-high 11 for Western New Mexico and was one of three Mustangs to finish in double-digits. Jones and Rodriguez finished with 10 apiece in their team's exhibition bout.
• A massive 46-16 (+30) edge in points in the paint allowed the Aggies to pick up the win. New Mexico State's defense and transition game played a part, too, as the Aggies racked up 15 steals and concluded the night with a 22-0 edge in fast-break points.
COMING UP NEXT
• A WAC/Big Sky matchup is on tap Saturday inside the Pan Am Center as the Aggies continue their non-conference schedule by playing host to Weber State. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.
++NM State++
