New Mexico State University Athletics

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – On Monday night, college basketball returned for the 2026-27 season – along with it came the first game for NM State under Head Coach Adeniyi Amadou. An almost entirely rebuilt roster and coaching staff took to the Pan American Center floor for the first time together. A tight contest throughout, the Aggies ultimately fell 61-56.
 
While Lilyana Fontcha corralled the opening tip, the visiting Toreros were the first to put points on the board. However, an 8-0 run by the Crimson & White gave them an 8-3 lead with 5:53 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
In all, four different Aggies tallied made baskets, while five recorded points in the first, as NM State took a 16-9 lead into the second stanza.  
 
Scoring 16 points in the opening quarter, NM State's Fontcha put in the Aggies' first points of the second quarter less than two minutes in; however, the Aggies would go over seven minutes without a made field goal until Raina Tomasicka drained a three with 1:03 remaining. This, along with a 7-0 run by the visitors in the early portion of the quarter, would allow USD to even the score at 18-18 with 6:51 remaining in the period. Trailing by one following a pair of made free throws by USD's Kylie Ray, Tomasicka would notch her first made triple of the night, sending the Aggies into halftime with a 28-26 advantage.
 
The third quarter saw the most offensive production of the night from both teams, combining for 47 points in the frame, with Tomasicka scoring 12 points, going toe-to-toe with the Toreros' Kiera Pemberton, who tallied 11 points in the third. Heading into the fourth quarter, NM State trailed 53-48.
 
Back-to-back scores by Tomasicka and Stacy Chovino saw the deficit cut to one (53-52), though this would be the closest the score would come down the stretch. With just seven made baskets between the two squads in the fourth, the Aggies would fall by a final score of 61-56.
 
NUMBERS OF NOTE

• Junior guard Raina Tomasicka led all scorers with 24 points on Monday night, a new career high for the Jekabpils, Latvia, native. This became the most points in an NM State debut since at least 2014.
• New Mexico State had three players tally 10 or more points (Raina Tomasicka, Aimeé Michel and Lilyana Fontcha), doing so for the first time since February 21, 2026, against UTEP.
• Lilyana Fontcha recorded a career best in both points (10) and rebounds (11) to record her first career double-double, and the first Aggie double-double since Morane Dossou on January 22, 2026, against Jax State.
• The Aggies starting five of Talia Kavoka, Eva Agba, Stacy Chovino, Aimeé Michel and Lilyana Fontcha all made their first collegiate starts on Monday night.
• Four Aggies made their collegiate debuts: Chovino, Aissatou Keita, Imane Loubibet and Eva Hamlil.
• Stacy Chovino made an impact all over the floor for the Aggies, posting six points, nine rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals in 31 minutes of action.
• Sophomore guard Talia Kavoka recorded a team-high three assists against San Diego.

 
QUOTABLES
 
Head Coach Adeniyi Amadou, on his takeaways following the team's season-opening matchup with San Diego: "We have to continue improving our discipline, and reduce our turnovers. That was a huge key to the game, especially those first couple quarters. We finished with 17, far too many and much more than we'd like to have.
 
I think we're going to go back and watch the tape and clean things up. I look forward to practice tomorrow."
 
Junior guard Raina Tomasicka, on the overall performance on Monday night: "Of course it's good to score the ball, but I would have been much happier with a win. Even if I scored zero points and we got the win, the team performance takes priority. There were good things we did this game, and some things we need to clean up."
 
Sophomore guard Lilyana Fontcha, on her first career double-double performance (10 points, 11 rebounds): "My teammates really push me. They tell me to go on the ball, be physical. They helped me to be able to put together that kind of performance tonight."
UP NEXT
NM State returns to the floor in Las Cruces on Friday, Nov. 6, as it hosts Southern Utah. Tip-off is set for 11 a.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).