HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS – Road wins are few and far between in the 2023-24 edition of Conference USA Women's Basketball. NM State is no stranger to the trend, as Sam Houston pulled out an overtime win at home on Thursday night. A clutch Jaila Harding 3-pointer sent the game to overtime, but the visitors failed to generate enough offense to compete in the final frame, falling 66-56. The Bearkats earned their second CUSA win in program history, improving to 2-10 and 7-17 overall. With the loss, NM State fell to 11-14 and 5-7 in CUSA play. 
 
First Quarter
NM State started the game 4-for-4 from the field, led by four quick points from Ene Adams. Another timely bucket from the senior forward put the Aggies ahead 10-3 just 3 minutes and 27 seconds into the game. After that point, the Bearkats heated up and went on an 11-6 run of their own, fueled by two steals and four forced turnovers. Despite the push, NM State still held a 16-14 lead after 10 minutes; a position they had become comfortable in. The Aggies entered the contest 11-0 when leading after the first quarter and 0-13 when trailing or tied.  
 
Second Quarter
After starting 4-for-4, the Aggies made just three of their next 14 shots. This offensive slump put the road team behind 24-18 with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter. Femme Sikuzani Masudi recorded two layups in the frame but was alone in the scoring column. After just four points from the visitors in the stanza, Sam Houston took a 29-20 lead into the locker room. 
 
Third Quarter
NM State started the second half on a mission, quickly getting out to an 11-5 run, jumpstarted by four first-minute points from senior Molly Kaiser. At the media timeout, the home team still led, but the margin was cut to 34-31. A pair of Loes Rozing layups cut the margin to one point each time, but NM State failed to take the lead. Sam Houston held on to a 41-39 advantage with 10 minutes left. 
 
Fourth Quarter
Only six Aggies entered the game in the fourth quarter, with four of them playing all 10 minutes. The group only sank four field goals and allowed five from Sam Houston. Despite that, the visitors got to the free-throw line six times and converted every time. Once again, NM State failed to take a lead in the fourth quarter, holding the margin between five and three for the majority of the final three minutes. With 23 seconds left, a defensive rebound found its way to Fanta Gassama, who moved the ball up to Jaila Harding. The biggest shot of the game at the time went to the Wichita, Kan. native, who canned a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game with 18.2 seconds on the clock. Nobody scored down the stretch, sending the game to a final period of five minutes knotted at 54 apiece.
 
Overtime
NM State did not record a made field goal after the end of regulation. Sam Houston quickly pulled ahead by six just two minutes into the extra period, and never relinquished the lead. The Bearkats' defense held the visitors to just eight shot attempts and not a single conversion. Fanta Gassama did get to the charity stripe, sinking a pair of free throws, leading to the final score of 66-56. 
 
Numbers of Note

• After starting 4-for-4, NM State made just 17 of its final 57 shot attempts (29.8%).
• The Aggies committed 23 personal fouls in the loss, tied for fourth-most in a game this season. NM State has now committed 52 fouls in two games against the Bearkats, tallying a season-high 29 when the teams clashed in Las Cruces a month ago. 
• Going 21-61 from the field is not a recipe for success, especially when highlighted by a 0-for-8 in overtime. NM State's 40 missed shots were the third-most in 2023-24. 
• The overtime frame marked the season's first period of any duration in which NM State failed to sink a single field goal. The Crimson & White scored two points at the free-throw line and allowed 12 points from Sam Houston. 
• Loes Rozing averaged 3.3 points per game entering the contest. The Netherlands native poured in 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in what was one of her most productive nights in the box score. 
• Sylena Peterson tied a career high with seven assists, matching a mark she set against CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley earlier this year. 
• For the first time this season, the Aggies lost a game in which they led after the first quarter. They were previously 11-0 when doing so, and 0-13 when trailing after the opening frame. 
• NM State is now 0-10 when trailing or tied at halftime. The Aggies are 0-12 when trailing or tied after three quarters. 

 
Up Next
The Crimson & White are due for their first trip to LA Tech as members of the same conference. Last time the two squads faced, NM State edged out a 66-64 overtime win in the Pan American Center. Now, the Lady Techsters will play hosts for a crucial matchup late in the CUSA regular-season slate between the fifth and seventh seeds. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via nmstatestats.com.
 
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