EL PASO, TEXAS – For the first time in Head Coach Adeniyi Amadou's tenure, NM State battled UTEP in a rivalry matchup. Facing off as conference foes for the past three seasons, the Aggies and Miners met in the Battle of I-10 on Tuesday night as non-conference opponents once again.
The Aggies' 3-point shooting was the story of the night as NM State shot 47.8% (11-23) from downtown, including making eight of its nine attempts in the second half. For the second time this season, Reina Tomasicka finished as the Aggies' leading scorer, posting 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Meanwhile, Aimeé Michel chipped in a career-high 17 points to go along with five rebounds.
Lilyana Fontcha broke the seal on the opening possession of the night as she battled for an offensive rebound before finishing the putback layup. Aimeé Michel then helped extend the lead to 8-4 less than two minutes into the contest as she drilled 3-pointers from the top of the key on back-to-back trips down the floor.
An 8-2 run for the Miners then put the home side ahead by three points at the first media break. Driving scoop layup for Imane Loubibet put an end to the UTEP burst and helped the Aggies carry just a one-point deficit into the second frame, trailing 13-12.
Following an opening quarter that saw the two sides combine for 25 points, both defenses stiffened as the Aggies and Miners combined for just seven points through the first four minutes of action in the second.
Fueled by Raina Tomasicka's 12 points in the second quarter, the Aggie offense eventually got going and took control. The junior did most of her damage from the free throw line as she went a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Aggies held the Miners to 21% (3-14) from the floor in the second stanza, allowing the Crimson and White to carry a seven-point advantage into the half.
On the other side of the break, Stacy Chovino made her presence felt as she got a jumper to fall and then immediately came up with a steal and spun her way to a layup, giving the Aggies a 32-21 lead less than 30 seconds into the third quarter.
This would be the start of a six-minute stretch to start the second half that saw the Aggies out-score UTEP 20-10, creating a 17-point lead. During the run, the Aggies would hit four 3-pointers, bookended by a pair from Eva Agba who finished with three triples on the night.
In the second half alone, the Aggies were 8-for-9 from beyond the arc, meanwhile, UTEP went 0-of-8 for the game, creating a 24-point discrepancy in this area.
Eventually, the Miners would push back as a 6-0 run trimmed the lead to 12 points, however, Eva Hamlil drove to the paint for a layup to put an end to the streak and help the Aggies carry a 13-point lead into the final 10 minutes.
In the fourth quarter, the Aggies continued their dominance as Agba connected on a shot from long range just 21 seconds into the period. Later, Michel and Tomasicka would combine to go on a 7-0 scoring run that extended the lead to 21 points with just over six minutes remaining on the clock. This would prove to more than enough cushion for the visitors as NM State went on to earn its fourth double-digit win over the Miners in the last six meetings.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- Junior guard Raina Tomasicka posted a new career high in points on Tuesday night, finishing with 26 points, including four 3-pointers while going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Through three games this season, she is averaging 22.0 points per contest.
- Aimeé Michel joined in posting a new career best in points, tallying 17 in El Paso. The sophomore forward has now recorded double-digit totals in all three contests for NM State this season.
- Eva Agba knocked down a trio of 3-pointers on the night, her first with the Crimson & White. The Marseille, France, native finished with a career-high nine points on the night, while also posting bests in assists (6) and rebounds (4) while playing a new high of 34 minutes in her third consecutive start.
- Reigning CUSA Freshman of the Week Stacy Chovino finished with four points, four rebounds, three steals (career high) and a career best seven assists, the most in a single game for an Aggie since Dec., 6, 2025 (Fanta Gassama, 9).
- With the win, NM State snaps a two-game losing skid to UTEP, and are now winner of four of the last six matchups between the rivals.
- The Aggies finished with 11 made 3-pointers in the rivalry road victory over the Miners, the most by NM State in a single game since Dec., 28, 2021 against SAGU.
- As a team, the Aggies finished with a season high 18 assists, the most in a game by the Crimson & White since Dec. 20, 2025, versus Saint Mary's (20).
- The Miners finished with just two assists on the night, the fewest by an Aggie opponent since Nov, 6, 2018 against Division II UT Permian Basin (1).
- UTEP finished the game 0-for-8 from three-point land. This marked the first time the Aggies held an opponent without made 3-pointer since March, 3, 2025, when Sam Houston shot 0-for-10.
- Freshman forward Imane Loubibet tallied her first points as an Aggie, while Jullia Saillard made her NM State debut.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Adeniyi Amadou on the rivalry win: "I was very pleased with their resiliency and their focus today. Today was a game where we really emphasized discipline and having the mental concentration that was required to follow the gameplan, so I was very happy with this."
Junior guard Raina Tomasicka on what led to her success: "I think it was my teammates and it was a team effort. I think we played well together."
UP NEXT
The Aggies will have nearly a week off before returning home to host foe Kansas City on Monday, Nov. 16, at the Pan American Center. This will serve as the first time the two programs collide since 2020 when the two were still members of the Western Athletic Conference. Tip-of is set for 6 p.m. MT, with the game streaming on ESPN+, and live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
For complete coverage of NM State Women's Basketball, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWBB), Instagram (@NMStateWBB), and like us on Facebook (NM State Women's Basketball).
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