LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Following a Thursday night affair in Jacksonville, NM State moves forward to a matchup with Kennesaw State on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tip-off from VyStar Arena is set for 10:00 a.m. MT, with the game streaming live on ESPN+, with live stats available
here.
NM State is 1-1 all time against the Owls, with each team notching a win on their home floor in the 2024-25 season, most recently an Aggie win in Las Cruces (61-57) on Feb. 22, 2025.
OPENING TIP
Who: NM State (7-12, 3-4 CUSA) vs. Kennesaw State (9-8, 2-4 CUSA)
Where: VyStar Arena (3,800) | Kennesaw, Ga.
When: Saturday, Jan. 24, 10:00 a.m. MT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: nmstatesports.com/stats
LAST TIME OUT
- NM State started strong, building a 16-13 edge in the opening quarter, before falling by a final score of 57-46 against Jacksonville State.
- Morane Dossou notched her second consecutive and fourth overall double-double, finishing with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
- Dossou also notched four blocks, a career best and season high, and the most by an Aggie since 2018 (Brooke Salas, 11).
- Lucía Yenes recorded a team-high 13 points (14th game with 10-plus points this season), adding five rebounds, two steals and one block.
- Imani Warren posted 11 points, her 13th game in double-figures this season, while tying her season best in steals (4).
- The Aggies tallied just two points in bench scoring, while tying a season-low in free-throws made (4).
WINNING WAYS
- NM State is 5-2 this season when holding opponents below 59 points, including a 2-1 mark in CUSA action.
- When securing the edge in the rebounding battle, the Aggies are 5-1, with a four-game winning streak.
- Contests decided by four or fewer points see the Aggies sport a 3-0 record.
- In games where NM State shoots better than opponents, the Crimson & White sport a 6-5 record, including a 3-1 mark when eclipsing 50%, most recently accomplished in a road victory over Western Kentucky (Jan. 8).
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 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, the most of any Aggie on the 2025-26 roster.
- This season, she holds the eighth-highest single-game scoring output in CUSA, while ranking seventh in the league in scoring (14.2 points per game). The Spaniard leads the league in field goals made (107), ranks second in total points (269) and sixth in the conference in field-goal percentage (45.3).
- With a team-high 18 blocks on the season, Yenes is eighth in the conference in blocks per game (0.9), making her one of just 12 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 (2.2 per game; 9th in CUSA) while tied for the team lead in assists per game (2.5; 15th in CUSA). She also ranks second on the team in made field goals (91; 6th in CUSA), scoring (12.4 points per game; 13th in CUSA), blocks (15; 14th in CUSA) and free throws made (47; 13th in CUSA). She is also third on the team in both total rebounds (72) and rebounds per game (3.8).
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.
- Against Jax State (Jan. 22), Dossou tallied her second consecutive and fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
- Dossou is one of just four players in the conference to tally 17 or more rebounds in a game this season, ranking sixth in Conference USA with 8.5 total rebounds per contest, and fourth in defensive rebounds per game (6.6).
- Across the nation, she ranks 69th 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 14-rebound game against Jax State (Jan. 17), the junior from France holds eight of the 11 double-digit 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 68th in Division I in steals per game (10.2), the third-best mark in CUSA.
- 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 eight steals in 12 of the past 13 games, this includes nine contests with 10 or more swipes.
- Imani Warren leads the team with 2.2 steals per contest, good for ninth in Conference USA. Lucía Yenes (1.6 steals per game, 17th) and Emma Christiano (18th, 1.5) also rank among the conference's best.
- The Aggies also rank 100th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (18.7).
- 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. In conference action, NM State averages 3.6 makes a contest, including three games with four or more makes.
- In conference play, freshman Keira Hudson has notched eight makes from long range at a 50.0% shooting clip.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
- The Owls of Kennesaw State are led by Head Coach Octavia Blue, now in her fifth season in charge. Blue holds a 57-80 career record, while KSU is 9-8 this season, and 2-4 in Conference USA play.
- On Thursday, the Owls knocked off UTEP 83-52, snapping a three-game losing streak.
- Graduate guard Keyarah Berry paces KSU offensively, averaging 14.1 points per game, the eighth-highest figure in CUSA.
- Freshman forward TaTianna Stovall leads the Owls in blocks per game (1.4), ranking second in CUSA and 88th nationally.
- While KSU ranks sixth in the conference in scoring offense (66.1), the Owls lead CUSA in both field goal percentage (44.5) and 3-point percentage (35.8).
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