BROOKLYN - On the back of an explosive first half from Jaila Harding, the Aggies rolled over Hampton to win their third straight game on Friday. Harding ended the night with an efficient 22 points to lead her team to a 31-point victory. The 78-47 winning margin was the largest this season for NM State, and the 50% clip from beyond the arc (10-for-20) was the program's best since last year's WAC Tournament game versus Southern Utah. After an 0-2 start, the Aggies are now above .500 for the first time this season at 3-2. Hampton fell to 0-4 on the year. 

First Quarter

Ene Adams scored the first points of the game, and made her only other field goal attempt of the quarter, notching four of her career-high 13 points in the first frame. Jaila Harding made her impression felt early on in the game, draining three of her five shots from beyond the arc in the first ten minutes of action. Tylie Jones was the only other Aggie to shoot a three-pointer in the quarter, knocking her shot down late in the frame as part of a 4-6 team mark from deep. Adams, Harding and Jones combined for 16 points as NM State took an 18-12 lead into the second quarter. 

Second Quarter

Harding continued her hot shooting night, dropping in another 7 points on perfect efficiency. The junior guard was three-for-three from the field, including her fourth three-pointer. She took a career-high 16 points into the halftime break, cruising past her previous high of 10. NM State was fouled seven times and made five of their six free throws in the second quarter as part of an 8-for-10 night at the line. Hampton's Cheyenne Talbot hit a buzzer-beating shot from about eight feet beyond the arc for her 20th point of the half, sending each team to the locker room as the Aggies held a 36-28 lead. 

Third Quarter

The Aggies' best quarter of the season came in the third. NM State poured in 25 points, passing their previous high of 22 in the fourth quarter against Arizona. Adams' best quarter of the night also came right out of the break, knocking down all four of her field goal attempts for eight points. Sylena Peterson responded to Talbot with a buzzer-beater of her own, stepping back on the left wing and canning her second three of the period to swell the Aggies' advantage to 61-40. 

Fourth Quarter

The game was already well-decided after the final quarter break of the night, as NM State held a 21-point lead. Lucia Yenes saw nearly half of her game action in the final stanza as she works back into game shape after last February's ACL injury. Yenes' 9:59 of playing time was her most this season, and were highlighted by four points and two rebounds. She hit both of her field goals in the closing moments of the game, and added a block in what was the first rejection from any Aggie this year aside from Ene Adams. 

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the win: "I thought we shared the ball, executed well and our defense continued to be a solid force for us game-to-game. Credit goes to this unselfish group that just wants to win and have fun doing so."

Head Coach Jody Adams, on the shooting from Harding and the team: "We have really worked on our spacing and pulling certain areas of the zone and discussed that she (Harding) was in rhythm and we needed to find her. I'm very proud of the maturity in how they took adjustments from the bench to the floor. I'm proud of everyone being ready when their name was called and of the bench's excitement for each other."

Junior guard Jaila Harding, on her stellar shooting night: "I think we played really well together as a team, we found each other in open situations and that made it easy. They (Hampton) were running a zone and they were sagging a lot, so my team just found me when I was open. I was feeling relaxed, and just playing with my teammates."

Numbers of Note

• Jaila Harding recorded multiple career highs: 22 points, six three-pointers made and eight field goals made

• Ene Adams notched a career-high 13 points, and was perfect from the field in the third quarter.

• Sylena Peterson posted what was easily her best performance of the 2023-24 campaign, highlighted by 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 31 minutes (all season-highs)

• Shooting 50% from three-point land and 80% at the charity stripe, NM State set season records in both categories.

• NM State outrebounded Hampton 44-25, and the +19 rebound margin was the best of the young season. 

Up Next

The Aggies will continue their action at the LIU Classic, as they take on Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday at 11:00 AM MT. The game will be streamed live on NEC Front Row, a free service. You can also follow the action live via LIU's SIDEARM Stats link. Both of those links are attached to this page, and can be found at nmstatesports.com. 

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