DENVER - NM State women's basketball fell 73-65 to Yale Friday afternoon in a tightly contested game that went down to the last few minutes. 

This game marked the first of six straight road games the Aggies will play away from the Pan-Am. After the team wraps up the Denver Classic, they will return home for a game against UTEP in El Paso before hopping on another plane for San Diego, where they are scheduled to play another pair of games. Yale was the first matchup on their slate. The Bulldogs came into Denver riding a three-game win streak and extended it to four with today's 73-65 victory over NM State.

Things got off to a good start for the Aggies. NM State jumped to an early 9-2 lead over the Bulldogs. Sylena Peterson got the scoring started with a fast break layup after Fama Thiam forced a turnover on the other end of the floor. Shortly after, Thiam would drain a shot from three-point land coming off an assist from Ashlee Strawbridge. 

NM State led the entire first quarter, outscoring Yale 20-14. Free throws were a common theme throughout the game - both teams shot a total of 61 free throws throughout the game. NM State shot 11 free throws in the first period, making seven. The Aggies were efficient the whole day from the stripe shooting 77.3%. 

Yale made some adjustments in the second period and kept the Aggies in check. The Bulldogs held the Aggies to just six points in the second quarter and took a four-point lead over the Aggies headed into the locker rooms.

Yale took their largest lead of the game in the third quarter (12). The Bulldogs torched the Aggies from behind the arc shooting just over 47% from three. They also often found themselves at the charity stripe, shooting a total of 39 free throws, making 25. 

Things were not looking great for the Aggies heading into the fourth quarter. They were trailing by eight and were struggling on both ends of the floor. It might have seemed over to some, but this team still had one last push left in them.

Fama Thiam and Sylena Peterson were huge for the Aggies comeback efforts. Thiam nearly matched her career high in scoring (19), with her 18 points hitting 63.3% of her shots, including 50% from the arc. She also managed to snag seven rebounds. Peterson found herself in double figures as well, scoring 14 points on 5-9 shooting. She also hit on 100% of her free throws (4).

The Aggies opened the final period by going on a 12-5 run to help cut the deficit to 59-58. With less than five minutes to play, NM State cut Yale's lead to just one following a Strawbridge layup in the paint. The Aggies and Bulldogs continued to trade blows until Molly Kaiser knocked down a pair from the charity stripe with 2:16 to play, tying the ballgame.

Yale answered right back, knocking down a pair of free throws and a mid-range jumper. With time running down, the Aggies found themselves down five with just 14 seconds left in the game. 

Fighting against a bruising Bulldog defense, NM State was unable to score in the last two minutes of the game. The Bulldogs capitalized and cruised to a 73-65 finish, handing the Aggies their second loss of the year. 

Stats / Performances of Note

• NM State connected on 23-45 of their shots (46.9%)
• The Bulldogs hit six more three pointers (8) than the Aggies (2)
• A total 61 free throws were taken by both teams - Yale took 39, NM State took 22.
• The Aggies had their most efficient night from the line this season shooting 77.3% from the stripe. Their previous high came against UNM when they shot 64.3%
• Only two lead changes occurred in the game. 
• Yales largest lead was 12 which came in the third quarter. 
• NM States largest lead came in the first quarter when they led by 10. 
• Each team had 70 possessions. 
• Fama Thiam set a new season high in scoring (18) nearly matching her career high (19). She also set a new season high in rebounds (7). 
• Sylena Peterson also set a new season high in scoring (14).