LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Fresh off of a 35-point win, NM State will close out their three-game homestand on Saturday with a familiar foe. The Aggies are set to welcome Utah Valley back to the confines of the Pan American Center as an out-of-conference opponent for the second time, and the first since 2008. The Wolverines and Aggies were both members of the WAC from 2013-2023, before the Aggies joined Conference USA. On Saturday afternoon, UVU and NM State will rekindle an old rivalry once more in a non-conference bout, both coming off impressive blowout wins.
How to Follow
Who: Utah Valley (4-5, 0-2) at NM State (5-4, 0-0)
Where: Pan American Center - Las Cruces, N.M.
When: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 at 1:00 PM MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Statistics: NM State StatBroadcast
All-Time Series Record: NM State 16-5
Where the Aggies Stand
NM State took care of business on Tuesday, comfortably knocking off its only non-Division I opponent of the season. Molly Kaiser's 22 points were enough to lead all scorers in a 35-point beatdown of Western NM as the home team picked up its largest win in nearly 12 months. Ene Adams exploded for a hyper-efficient 10-point first quarter en route to a 15-point, 4 rebound performance in which she went 7-8 from the floor in just 19 minutes. Lucia Yenes also brought solid production, scoring 11 of her 13 points in the second half and hauling in a career-best nine rebounds.
The win put an end to a two-game skid against UC Irvine and New Mexico, putting the Aggies back above .500 at 5-4. The home team won the rebounding battle by 12, and continued the streak of winning when doing so. NM State has now won every game where it has out-rebounded their opponent, and has yet to come out victorious when losing the battle of the boards. Defensively, Sabou Gueye's three steals led the team to a 10-steal night in which the Aggies forced 23 turnovers. In all four home games, Jody Adams' bunch has produced 21-plus turnovers, averaging 24.0 per contest in the Pan American Center.
Scouting the Wolverines
Utah Valley is led by Head Coach Dan Nielson in his fifth season at the helm. Since taking over, Nielson has a 51-67 record, and has led the Wolverines to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021, where UVU lost to eventual-National Champion Stanford.
This season, the Wolverines are out to a 4-5 start, and have gone winless in two WAC competitions so far. Most recently, Utah Valley took on a Utah State squad that has lost 32 of its last 38 matchups. The Wolverines won by 30 at home behind 13 points, five assists, four rebounds, a block and a steal from Ally Criddle.
Utah Valley's leading scorer is Kylee Mabry, averaging 8.7 points per game. The sophomore guard is hitting 43.3% of her shots from the field and 33.3% of her attempts from deep. Mabry is also posting 3.2 rebounds per game, and leads the team with 26 steals (2.9 per game).
For complete coverage of NM State Women's Basketball, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWBB), Instagram (@NMStateWBB) and like us on Facebook (NM State Women's Basketball). You can also follow along with Aggie Women's Basketball via NMStateSports.com.
##NM State##
