LAS CRUCES, N.M. – NM State returns to the Pan American Center floor for two conference matchups, splitting a pair of road games against WKU and MTSU last week. The Aggies will host the FIU Lady Panthers on Thursday, Jan. 15. Tip-off from the Pan American Center is set for 6 p.m. MT, with the game streaming live on ESPN+, with live stats available here.
 
The Aggies trail FIU 8-4 in the all-time series, though the past four contests have all gone NM State's way, with each win coming as members of Conference USA.
 
OPENING TIP
 
Who: NM State (6-10, 2-2 CUSA) vs. FIU (8-6, 1-2 CUSA)
Where: Pan American Center (12,200) | Las Cruces, N.M.
When: Thursday, Jan. 15, 6:00 p.m. MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: nmstatesports.com/stats
 
LAST TIME OUT

• NM State dropped its first conference road matchup of the season, falling to MTSU by a score of 88-51.
• Freshman forward Senoj Jones recorded a new career high, posting 11 points in 16 minutes of action.
• Lucía Yenes finished with 11 points against the Blue Raiders, while surpassing 500 career points.
• The Aggies were held to their lowest assist total of the season, notching just four helpers in the loss.

 
LUCIA LA REINA

• Senior forward Lucía Yenes showed out in the Aggies' season-opening contest against No. 18 USC (Nov. 4), tallying her first collegiate start en route to pouring in a career-high 27 points.
• Her point production was the most by an Aggie against power conference competition since NM State Hall of Famer and three-time All-American Anita Maxwell tallied 27 against No. 20 Ole Miss in 1996.
• Tallying back-to-back 20-plus point scoring performances to open the season, Yenes became the first Aggie to do so since Aaliyah Prince in the 2019-20 campaign.
• Against UC Irvine, the senior forward notched her third 20-point performance of the season, tallying 22 against the Anteaters.
• In an overtime victory against Delaware (Jan. 4), Yenes recorded a new career high with 10 rebounds, adding 10 points for her first collegiate double-double.
• Finishing with 26 points against WKU (Jan. 8), Yenes notched her fourth game with 20 or more points, doing so on 12-for-15 shooting (80%).
• On Jan. 10, against MTSU, a trip to the free-throw line secured 500 career points for Yenes, with 229 coming in 2025-26 alone.
• This season, she holds the seventh-highest single-game scoring output in CUSA, while ranking eighth in the league in scoring (14.3 points per game). The Spaniard leads the league in field goals made (93), fourth in total points (229) and fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage (47.0).
• With a team-high 14 blocks on the season, Yenes is ninth in the conference in blocks per game (0.9), making her one of just 11 players in Conference USA to reach that mark.

 
IMANI'S IMPACT

• Imani Warren has tallied a breakout season for the Crimson & White, setting a new career-high with 29 points against CUSA foe Liberty (Jan. 2) – the fifth-highest scoring output by a player in CUSA this season.
• This is the most by an Aggie since Molly Kaiser tallied 35 against LA Tech in the 2024-25 campaign.  
• Her 12 field goals made in the meeting with the Lady Flames are a career best. Three 3-pointers made also marked a personal best for the Milwaukee, Wis., native.
• Against Utah Tech, Warren put in the go-ahead basket to secure the victory, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds to give the Aggies their first road win of the year.
• Her three blocks against Fresno State (Nov. 28) were the most by an Aggie this season, later tying this mark against Western Kentucky (Jan. 8).
• In the matchup against the Bulldogs, she also tied a team high with six assists, matching a mark she previously set against New Mexico Highlands.
• Against New Mexico Highlands (Nov. 11), the junior guard posted her first career double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds).
• Against Eastern New Mexico (Dec. 29), Warren finished with eight made free throws – the most by an Aggie in a single game this season.
• Warren currently leads the Aggies in steals (2.3 per game; 8^th in CUSA), free throws made (43; 10^th in CUSA), and assists (2.6; 14^th in CUSA). She also ranks second on the team in made field goals (77; 6^th in CUSA), scoring (12.8 points per game; 10^th in CUSA) and blocks (13; 12^th in CUSA). She is also third on the team in both total rebounds (64) and rebounds per game (4.0).

 
WE WANT SOME MO

• Junior forward Morane Dossou recorded a dominant performance against Saint Mary's (Dec. 20), tallying 15 points (7-of-8 from the floor) while pulling down 17 rebounds, earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors.
• The Charleville-Mézières, France, native became the first Aggie to earn a conference player of the week award since Molly Kaiser on Mar. 9, 2025.
• In a thrilling overtime win over Delaware (Jan. 4), Dossou notched her second double-double with the Aggies, posting 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Dossou is one of just four players in the conference to tally 17 or more rebounds in a game this season, ranking ninth in Conference USA with 8.1 total rebounds per contest, and fifth in defensive rebounds per game (6.1).
• Across the nation, she ranks 96^th in rebounds per contest.
• Earning her first start with the Crimson & White against Southern Utah (Dec. 4), Dossou would finish with double-digit rebounds, pulling down 11 in just over 16 minutes of action.
• Following a 12-rebound game against Delaware (Jan. 4), the junior from France holds six of the nine 10-plus rebound performances for NM State this season, with Lucia Lara (Nov. 11), Imani Warren (Nov. 11) and Lucía Yenes (Jan. 4) recording the others.

 
WHAT'S YOURS IS OURS

• Heading into Thursday's contest, NM State ranks 61^st in Division I in steals per game (10.5).
• Against Delaware (Jan. 4), the Aggies tallied 16 swipes, the most against Division I competition in a single game this season and tied for the second-most overall (ENMU, 17). Recording at least nine steals in each of the past nine games, this includes seven contests with 10 or more swipes.
• Imani Warren leads the team with 2.3 steals per contest, good for eighth in Conference USA and 98^th nationally. Lucía Yenes (1.7 steals per game, 16^th) and Emma Christiano (21^st, 1.4) also rank among the conference's best.
• The Aggies also rank 86^th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (19.2).
• Forcing 29 turnovers against ENMU (Dec. 29), this became the most in a single game for the Crimson & White since Jan. 16, 2025, against FIU (30).

 
HEATING UP

• Posting six 3-pointers made against Liberty on Jan. 2, the team tied a season-high in makes from deep for the third time this season (Dec. 4, Dec. 20).
• In the Aggies' first five contests of the season, the squad combined to make 11 triples while shooting 20.3% from beyond the arc. Since December 16^th, the Aggies have averaged 4.4 three-pointers made per game, including four games with five or more makes.
• Anna Csenyi paces the Aggies in the past seven contests, netting 13 3-pointers on 35.1% shooting.

SCOUTING THE LADY PANTHERS

• The Lady Panthers are led by Head Coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley, in her sixth season at the helm – boasting an 84-85 overall record.  
• Last time out, FIU notched a home victory over CUSA foe Kennesaw State by a score of 76-65.
• FIU sports an 8-6 on the year, with a 1-2 mark in conference action, with all three CUSA contests coming at home.
• Preseason All-CUSA selection Parris Atkins has lived up to that billing, leading the conference in points per game (19.2), while ranking 31^st in the nation.
• Junior Rhema Collins is second on the team and second in the conference scoring-wise, averaging 18.9 per contest (36^th in Division I).
• The Lady Panther duo is joined by Sharnecce Currie-Jelks and Halli Poock of Murray State as the lone teammate pairs to rank within the top 36 nationally in scoring.
• As a team, FIU leads Division I in free throw attempts per game (27.1), while also ranking sixth in turnovers forced per contest (25.8), seventh in free throws made per game (17.8) and 14^th in steals per game (13.3).

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