Opening Tip
• NM State women's basketball (11-10, 6-3 WAC) prepares to take on a pair of top teams in the WAC this week as they head west to Riverside to take on California Baptist (11-9, 7-2) Thursday before returning home Saturday for a rematch with Grand Canyon.
• The Aggies are well rested after having a week off from games and will look to extend their current two game win streak they are riding going into Thursday.  
• The Lancers are riding a winning streak of their own defeating each of their last four opponents including wins against Grand Canyon (78-70) and Stephen F. Austin (82-74).
• NM State is 3-5 all time against CBU, dropping the last five outings after defeating the Lancers in the first three meetings.  
 
Last Time Out
• NM State defeated Abilene Christian last Thursday, 69-61, to move to 6-3 in WAC play and 11-10 overall.
• Soufia Inoussa set a new career-high mark in points scored (28) and three pointers made (5). Inoussa tied her season-high in points (15) in the first 18 minutes of action.
• The Aggies had their single best shooting performance in a quarter this season during the first period of play going 9-10 as a team.
• The team shot a season high in three pointers (8) as a team.
• Taylor Donaldson had her eighth double-digit scoring outburst of the season (10)
• NM State shot above 50% as a team for just the fifth time this season.
• Molly Kaiser played 38/40 minutes – her second highest total of the season and the second time in the last three games she's surpassed 35 minutes.
• The Aggies led the Wildcats for just over 35 minutes (35:07)
• NM State forced 17 turnovers in the game – the 13^th time they've forced 15+ turnovers this season.
 
WAC Player of The Week
• In a release issued by the Western Athletic Conference Monday afternoon, it was announced that senior guard Soufia Inoussa was named this week's WAC Women's Player of the Week after having a career night against Abilene Christian last Thursday when she scored 28 points helping her team to a 69-61 victory over the Wildcats.
• This marks the first time in her career that Inoussa has brought home a WAC weekly award honor and becomes the first Aggie since Gia Pack (Jan. 20^th, 2020) to win the award.
• Inoussa was one of only five players in the conference last week to record over 20 points and was the only player to record 25 plus points. Aside from dropping 28 points during last week's win, Inoussa also set a career high in three pointers made going 5-8 from behind the arc.
 
Defense. Defense. Defense
• NM State is allowing just 59.0 points a game this season to opponents, leading the WAC and ranking 63rd nationally.
• The Aggies possess one of the best turnover margins in the country, tallying the 39th best turnover margin nationally (+4.1) and second highest margin in the WAC. As a team, NM State forces 19.48 turnovers a contest, which is also 39th best in the nation and third in the WAC.
• Additionally, NM State ranks 43rd in the nation in steals per game (10.0) and third in the WAC.
 
The Sum of Our Parts
• Coach Jody Adams' squad this season is built on balance, with a deep rotation and scoring from all over the court.  Ten different players are averaging 10+ minutes for the team this season, while eight average at least 4.5 points a contest.
• Soufia Inoussa leads the team in minutes averaging 30.0 per game this season. The other nine players averaging double digit minutes include Taylor Donaldson (29.9), Molly Kaiser (28.0), Fama Thaim (25.3), Sylena Peterson (21.9), Tayelin Grays (21.6), Ashlee Strawbridge (20.1), Shania Harper (16.6), Ene Adams (10.7), Sabou Gueye (10.3).
• Molly Kaiser paces the team on the scoring front, managing 11.7 points a game, with that average bumping up to 12.4 in conference play. Other players scoring at least 4.5 points per contest include Sylena Peterson (9.4), Fama Thiam (8.6), Soufia Inoussa (8.0), Taylor Donaldson (7.9), Tayelin Grays (6.7), Shania Harper (5.9) and Lucia Yenes (4.9).
 
Changing the Landscape
• In her first season as Head Coach, Jody Adams has jumpstarted the Aggies to their best start in conference (6-3) play since the 2018-2019 season when the team finished the year 15-1 in WAC play.
• After the season got out to a slow 3-7 start, the Aggies have shifted their narrative and have won seven of their last ten games.
• Last season, the Aggies went 0-12 on the road overall and have improved to five road wins this season, including a 3-1 record against WAC competition. This marks the most road victories since the 18-19 season (11-5 road record).
• With 11 wins on the year, Adams has surpassed the Aggies win total from last season (10), with nine contests left to be played.
 
Scouting the Lancers
• California Baptist (11-9, 7-2 WAC) currently sits third in the WAC standings and fourth in the WAC resume seeding system with 0.68 total points.
• The team is currently riding a four-game win streak recently defeating Seattle U (72-58), Grand Canyon (78-70), UT Arlington (83-65), and Stephen F. Austin (83-65).  
• Preseason All-WAC selection Trinity San Antonio leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per contest, while fellow guard All- Dorcas Wu tops the team in rebounds (7.5).
• The Wildcats are scoring 72.1 points a game while allowing 62.7 points, giving them a +9.4 scoring margin, which ranks third in the WAC. As a team, ACU has scored 147 three-pointers which is good for second in the conference, while ranking ninth in three-point field goal defense.
 
Up Next
• The Aggies will have to make a quick turnaround following their trip to Riverside as they get set to host Grand Canyon just two days after their meeting with the Lancers. The last time the Aggies and Lopes met was a few weeks ago in Phoenix where the Lopes survived a late push from the Aggies, taking the game in overtime, 69-62. Saturdays game will be a part of another Aggie double header between the men's and women's teams with the Aggie women set to go at 4 p.m.