Kennesaw, Ga. – Facing a short turnaround due to inclement weather, NM State (7-13, 3-5 CUSA) dropped a contest against Kennesaw State (10-8, 3-4 CUSA), 70-55 at VyStar Arena on Saturday afternoon. Imani Warren paced the Aggies with 18 points, while freshman Keira Hudson closed the contest with superb shooting, finishing 4-for-5 including a trio of made 3-pointers to tally 11 points.
 
Imani Warren showed hustle to begin the contest, following her own shot and converting a layup for the first points of the afternoon. However, seven turnovers and 3-for-20 shooting saw the Aggies trailing 21-6 after one quarter. This represented a new season low for the NM State offense in the opening ten minutes.
 
Improved execution on both ends of the court saw NM State outscore Kennesaw State 16-14 in the second stanza. Imani Warren tallied 10 points in the frame, while the Crimson & White defense forced eight KSU turnovers. Despite 4-0 run to end the half, the visiting Aggies trailed 35-22.
 
Morane Dossou collected back-to-back NM State baskets to begin the third, though a 9-0 KSU run saw the Aggies trail by 20 (46-26) at the halfway point of the quarter. Led by Imani Warren (four points) and Anna Csenyi (four points), NM State closed the quarter on a 15-4 to finish the frame, making it a 51-40 contest heading into the final ten minutes of action.
 
Imani Warren notched the Aggies' first basket of the quarter to give her a team-high 18 points, though the junior guard would later foul out of the contest, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and a pair of assists in 27 minutes.  
 
Facing their largest deficit of the contest in the fourth, (65-42), freshman guard Keira Hudson entered the game and caught fire from beyond the arc, going 3-for-3 and finishing with 11 total points. As the final buzzer sounded, the Aggies fell by a score of 70-55.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Imani Warren totaled a team-high 18 points on Thursday, her 14^th game of 10-plus points on the year and her ninth time in the previous 11 contests.
• Keira Hudson finished the game with 11 points in just 11 minutes, her fifth game in double-figures and third in the past five contests. The Central Coast, Australia, native also tied her career high with three 3-pointers.
• Morane Dossou tallied eight points and nine rebounds against the Owls, including four offensive rebounds – her most since hauling in seven against Eastern New Mexico on Dec. 29.
• As a team, NM State recorded 15 offensive boards, its fourth-most in a single game this season.
• Going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, NM State posted its best percentage at the charity stripe this season (87.5).

QUOTABLES

Imani Warren, after the matchup in Kennesaw: "We started slow, and that allowed them to get comfortable in a hurry. We were hesitant and lacked aggression at times. We started to show glimpses later in the game, but it was too little, too late. Unforced errors and fouls hindered us, unfortunately."

DeAvion Wilson, on the game against the Owls: "We came into the game expecting a battle, and ultimately it came down to who wanted it more. We want to be the ones dictating the pace and setting the tone from the jump. It's a hard lesson learned. Now it's time to get back to work, understand where we fell short and ensure it doesn't happen again."

Head Coach Jody Adams, following Saturday's matchup: "I think we learned a lot from this trip, but growth is optional."

NM State stays within the borderland for its next trip, traveling to El Paso, Texas, for the Battle of I-10 against UTEP on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off from the Don Haskins Center is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT, streaming live on ESPN+ with live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats. 

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