Opening Tip
• Following a stint in which the Aggies saw its first four WAC regular-season games get pushed to later dates, NM State will officially begin conference play as they take on WAC newcomer Lamar in the home confines of the Pan American Center.
• The Aggies and Cardinals have met a total of seven times in the history of the two programs and the Aggies lead the all-time series with six wins.
• The most recent matchup between NM State and Lamar came on Dec. 18, 2007, with the Aggies earning the victory by a score of 79-66.
• In the seven games since the matchup began in 1980, no game has been decided by more than nine points.
• Following a one-point loss in their WAC opener against Grand Canyon, the Cardinals travel to Las Cruces with a 5-5 overall record and a 0-1 mark in league play.
• Head Coach Brooke Atkinson leads one of the WAC's top rebounding teams as the Aggies rank third in the conference in rebound margin as they have out-rebounded opponents by nearly four rebounds per contest.
• The Aggie offense is controlled by point guard Mel Isbell, who's assist to turnover ratio of 2.58 is tops in the WAC and ranks 26th in the country.
• Coming off one of the most impressive performances in college basketball this season, Bigue Sarr's field goal percentage of .591 ranks second in the WAC and 16th in the nation.
• Sarr also ranks second in the WAC in scoring as she averages 15.9 points per game.
 
Scouting the Cardinals | Roster | Schedule | Statistics
• Lamar will arrive at the Pan Am with one WAC game under their belt as they are coming off a tightly-contested loss to the Lopes on Saturday.
• Head Coach Aqua Franklin has the Cardinals half way to their win total from the last two years as the Cardinals have won 10 games in each of the previous two seasons.
• The Cardinals are led by Dallas native Akasha Davis who averages 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Davis has also reached double-digits in each of the Cardinals' last six outings.
• Sophomore standout Sabria Dean joins Davis as the only other Cardinal that consistently reaches double-digit points as she averages 14.1 points per game.
• Prior to dropping the road tilt to the Lopes, the Cardinals were on a four-game win streak with their last loss coming Nov. 28.
• Like the Aggies, Lamar has had a somewhat empty schedule as of late, having only played one game since Dec. 28.
 
Last Time Out | NM State 110, SAGU American Indian 40 | Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021
• The Aggies returned to the win column with a bang as they scored 42 points off turnovers to defeat the Warriors by 70 points.
• Tuesday's win marked the fifth-largest margin of victory in NM State program history. The Aggies largest margin of victory came on Nov. 19, 1976, when they took down Holloman Air Force Base 118-13.
• In the win, the Aggies were red hot from beyond the arc as they knocked down 11 triples to mark the first time they have made more than 10 made threes in a single game since Jan. 31, 2019, when they also hit 11 against Kansas City.
• NM State also out-rebounded the Warriors 62-22, notching the first outing with 50-plus boards for the Aggies since March 5, 2020.
• Bigue Sarr put together the best performance of her career as an Aggie, tallying her third double-double of the season as she finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes of play. Sarr went 15-of-16 from the field to end the game with the third-highest shooting percentage in a single game among Division I players this season (.938)
• The Aggies also received double-digit scoring from Fama Thiam and Sylena Peterson as both individuals came off the bench and scored 19 points in the home tilt.
• In addition to Thiam and Peterson, three other Aggies reached season-highs as Shania Harper and Janessa Johnson both finished with eight points, while Sarr's 30 point total was also her highest total in 2021-22.
• Harper also snagged a game-high 12 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.
 
Up Next
The Aggies will continue non-conference play as they head to Stephenville, Texas, to take on Tarleton on Thursday, Jan. 13 at 5 p.m. (MT). Entering Thursday's matchup, the Texans will have a 9-5 overall record and a 1-2 record in WAC play.
 
Sprinting Out of the Gate
The Aggies toppled Western New Mexico in their season opener, winning by a margin of 54 points. This marked the first 50-plus point win since last November when they derailed Park Gilbert, 92-38. Also, five Aggies reached double-digit scoring for the first time since Nov. 26, 2018 when they did so in a win over Northern New Mexico.
 
In the blowout win, the Aggies were led by Molly Kaiser who finished with a career-high 18 points. Oklahoma State transfer Bigue Sarr also had a productive night, posting 16 points and grabbing six boards in just 16 minutes of action.

2020-21 Highlights
- Finished the regular season riding a three-game winning streak.
- Aaliyah Prince was name Second Team All-WAC and earned WAC All-Defensive Team honors.
- Took down No. 5 Seattle U in the opening round of the WAC tournament as Shania Harper posted a season-high 15 points.
 
Sights on Six
NM State will seek its sixth WAC regular season title since the 2014-15 season. The Aggies are 80-18 in conference play across the past seven seasons.
 
Preseason Picks
NM State was picked to finish in seventh place in the WAC Coaches' Poll while the media selected the Aggies to land in sixth this season.
 
The WAC media also selected junior guard Soufia Inoussa to the Second Team All-WAC list.
 
Bringing Home the Hardware
Following her final season with the Aggies, Aaliyah Prince earned Second Team All-WAC and WAC All-Defensive Team honors. Prince finished the season ranked 11th in the league in steals per game while ranking 13th in points per game.