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Playing in its penultimate Pan Am contest of the season, NM State (9-18, 5-10 CUSA) played stifling defense down the stretch against the Kennesaw State Owls (12-15, 5-11 CUSA), holding the visitors to just 20 points over the final three quarters, prevailing 52-40. The Aggies improve to 42-7 under Head Coach Jody Adams when holding opponents below 59 points.
A slow start saw the Crimson & White trailing to begin the contest, facing a 15-2 deficit with just over four minutes in the opening stanza. However, the Aggies’ top scorers, Imani Warren and Lucía Yenes, powered a 9-5 run to close the quarter with the home side behind 20-11.
From that point forward, it was all Aggies. A seven-point second quarter for the visiting Owls tied their highest scoring period throughout the rest of the contest. Freshman Senoj Jones and Yenes led NM State in the frame, scoring 15 of the 18 Aggie points in the second, with Anna Csenyi chipping in a 3-pointer – her team leading 28th of the season.
With 40 ticks remaining in the opening half, Yenes put in a layup to give NMSU its first lead of the contest, which it never relinquished.
At the halftime break, the Aggies lead 29-27, thanks to 15 forced turnovers, converted into 17 points.
Jones scored the first NMSU basket in the second half, tying her career-high with 11 points – her third double-digit scoring effort on the year. She finished with a new career best in points (14), five rebounds and a block in 30 minutes of action off the bench.
“I just came in with the mentality of wanting to help my team,” Jones said. “Wanting to contribute and give fire to my team. They helped me with the energy they gave back.”
A balanced offense down the stretch in the third saw five Aggies tally made field goals. Heading into the fourth, the Crimson & White held a 43-33 lead, their largest since a Feb. 5 win over Sam Houston.
A pair of Lucía Yenes baskets, including her second made 3-pointer of the night, gave her 21 points on Thursday, her sixth 20-plus point performance and most since Jan. 8 against Western Kentucky (26 points). It was her 18th double-digit scoring performance of the campaign. The Madrid, Spain, native added three rebounds, one assist and three steals.
“We’ve been practicing well the whole week, so I just executed what we’ve worked on,” Yenes said. “It’s all thanks to my teammates, they did an amazing job being in the perfect spots to help us succeed, and I tried to build off of their efforts and reward them.”
Iyana Beh closed the night’s scoring with a trip to the free-throw line, converting for her first points since Dec. 14 against Western New Mexico.
As the final buzzer sounded, NM State prevailed 52-40, improving to 7-6 in Las Cruces.
Lucia Lara played 30 minutes against the Owls, the most in a contest for the Spaniard since Nov. 24 (San Diego). Making the most of her minutes, Lara tallied 10 rebounds, a team high and tying her career best, set against New Mexico Highlands on Nov. 14. The sophomore added two points and a trio of steals, setting a new career high in swipes.
Emma Christiano took control of her ‘20 square feet’ against KSU, finishing with four points, while tying the team high in both assists (4) and steals (3) in her 15th start of the season.
The 40 points allowed on the night was the fewest by NMSU since Dec. 16, 2023, a 70-39 win over Utah Valley. The Aggies forced 27 Owl turnovers, the most for the Aggies against Division-I competition this season, and most in 2025-26 since Dec. 29, against Eastern New Mexico (29).
“I’m extremely proud of these guys, and my coaching staff,” said head coach Jody Adams. “To start the game trailing and still stick with the game plan says a lot about our team, trusting the coaching staff and each other. Going forward through the rest of the season, the word is trust. Going on this journey together, we’re just going to sell out for each other.”
NMSU’s 14 steals were the most in a game since Jan. 4, against Delaware (16). With 10 assists on the night, this became the 10th time this season the Aggies recorded double-digit steals and assists in the same contest.
NM State plays in its final home game of the 2025-26 season against Jacksonville State on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m. The game will be live streamed on ESPN+, and live stats will be available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
