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The New Mexico State women’s basketball team took to the road for its first contest of the 2025-26 campaign Tuesday, Nov. 4, traveling west to the Galen Center for a matchup with No. 18 USC. As seven members of the Crimson & White made their first appearances, it was senior forward Lucia Yenes (career-high 27 points) and junior guard Imani Warren (11 points, tied career high) leading the way. As the final buzzer sounded, the Aggies fell to USC by a score of 87-48.
Warren got the Aggies going to begin the matchup, tallying back-to-back buckets to put the visitors ahead 4-3 in the early going. A third basket by Milwaukee, Wisconsin native kept NM State within striking distance, trailing 10-6 with 4:52 remaining in the first quarter.
Lucia Yenes’ scoring outburst began following the break, notching the next seven points for NMSU, which regained the lead 13-12 with 3:28 left in the opening stanza. The Lady Trojans closed the first on an 8-0 run, led by guards Londynn Jones and Kennedy Smith, ending the frame with the Aggies trailing 20-13.
Scoring seven points in the first for the Aggies, Yenes’ game went up a level in the second quarter, finishing with 17 first-half points on 7-for-11 shooting (3-of-3 from the free throw line). Coming into the contest, the senior from Madrid’s high mark in points came on Dec. 2, 2023, tallying 20 in a road contest against rival New Mexico. Despite the scoring touch by Yenes, NM State headed into halftime trailing by a score of 45-23.
At the break, the Aggies held the edge in field goal percentage (47.6% compared to 38.2% for USC), while drawing even in paint points, with 16 for each squad.
Held scoreless in the second frame, Imani Warren drove past the USC defense on the fastbreak, converting on the basket while drawing a foul on junior Lady Trojan guard Malia Samuels. Connecting on one of her two made 3-pointers on the night with 6:14 remaining in the frame, Lucia Yenes secured a new career high, sitting at 21 points.
“I was really excited to start the season, and while we couldn’t get the job done and earn a win, I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Yenes said. “They trusted me, so that gave me the confidence I needed tonight.”
Converting on a 3-point play with just over 90 seconds in the quarter, Warren matched her previous-best scoring output with 11 points – set against Liberty in the 2023 CUSA Championships semifinal.
Junior forward Iyana Beh made her first appearance in the contest for the Crimson & White in the third, tallying her first points as an Aggie while also recording one block and one steal in the frame. Fellow forward Lucia Lara tallied her first bucket with NMSU in the third quarter.
In the fourth, returners Anna Csenyi and Marta Guilera tallied their first baskets of the season, while true freshman DeAvion Wilson recorded her first points in an Aggie uniform.
Las Cruces native Emma Christiano made her Division I debut after transferring into the program from New Mexico Highlands, finishing with a team-high four assists in 20 minutes of action.
The Aggies now turn their focus to a matchup with New Mexico Highlands on Tuesday, Nov. 11, to open the home slate. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. from the Pan American Center, streaming on ESPN+ with live stats available at nmstatesports.com/stats.
