SEATTLE – Road wins never come easy, no matter the opponent, which is why this was a must win game for the Aggies especially coming off a devastating overtime loss in Phoenix on Thursday. And win they did as NM State (10-10, 5-3 WAC) knocked off Seattle U (1-16, 1-6 WAC) on their homecourt, 58-50, bringing them to an even .500 on the season as they prepare for the final leg of regular season games.
 
Molly Kaiser produced another double figure scoring line dropping 17 points on 6-11 shooting (54.5%) and five made attempts from the charity stripe (5-6). Once again, most of Kaiser's damage was done in the second half, scoring 13 of her 17 points coming out of the break. Kaiser was the only Aggies to reach the double figure mark - Tayelin Grays nearly reached double figures after scoring nine in the game, adding to her five rebounds and four assists. Shania Harper, Sylena Peterson and Taylor Donaldson each added seven points to the Aggies overall scoring mix.
 
Things got off to a hot start for the Aggies after going on a 9-0 to open up the ball game hitting on three out of their first four shots forcing Seattle to take a timeout with 6:48 left in the first. Soufia Inoussa, Shania Harper, Molly Kaiser and Tayelin Grays were the quartet that scored the opening baskets for NM State. Sylena Peterson later extended the Aggie lead to 10 after knocking down a triple from the left wing. With 3:40 left to play in the quarter, Taylor Donaldson connected for another Aggies three giving the Aggies a sizable 17-4 lead early in the game. With under a minute to go in the first, Shania Harper drained back-to-back shots in the paint to push the Aggies lead to 17 – their largest of the game.
 
Ene Adams kicked off the scoring for the Aggies in the second frame with a tough second chance layup after corralling her own miss, scoring over multiple defenders. After missing on their first two attempts, Seattle finally got a three pointer to fall in the second cutting the Aggies lead back to 13. Both teams went on a scoring drought of nearly three minutes before they were able to add another score. The Redhawks ended the drought with a free throw and a layup to bring the score to 28-18 with 4:53 left in the half. The Aggies next basket didn't come until the 4:12 mark in the second after Taylor Donaldson knocked down a mid-range jumper. A second chance layup in the paint by Molly Kaiser gave the Aggies a 33-22 lead right before the half's end, but a last second layup by the Redhawks cut the lead back to single digits before the horn sounded signifying the end of the half. NM State led Seattle U, 33-24 at the break.
 
Shania Harper and Taylor Donaldson led the Aggies at the break with seven points each. NM State shot an efficient 44.8% as a team and 42.9% from three. The Aggies carried a +3-rebound margin (19-16) at the half and forced nine Redhawk turnovers, converting them into 13 points.
 
The Redhawks came out of the Locke rooms hot, connecting on their first three shot attempts including tow made threes bringing the Aggies lead down to six with 7:31 left in the third. Following this, both teams went on another lengthy scoring drought of four minutes. Molly Kaiser ended the drought with 3:30 left in the third scoring in transition following another Redhawk turnover. Tayelin Grays later closed out the period with a pair of made free throws bringing the score to 42-34 in favor of the Aggies.
 
The fourth quarter was event in terms of scoring as both teams produced 16 points in the final period. Molly Kaiser owned the fourth scoring 11 of the Aggies 16 points including a couple clutch shots down the stretch to help put the game away. Soufia Inoussa and Tayelin Grays were the only other two Aggies to score in the quarter. Seattle shot 7-15 in the final period going 0-5 from deep. In the end, the Aggies were able to route the Redhawks 58-50 giving them a 1-1 split for the week bringing their overall record back to .500 (10-10).
 
Notes

• Molly Kaiser scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half with 11 of those points coming in the fourth quarter – the most points she's scored in the fourth quarter all season.
• The Aggies forced 22 turnovers on the night, the tenth time this season they have forced 20+ turnovers.
• The Aggies lost the rebound battle 35-26
• The Aggies largest lead came in the first quarter (17)
• NM State led the entire game
• The Aggies went scored 22 points off turnovers compared to the Redhawks three