by TUCSON, Ariz. –The NM State women’s basketball team couldn’t hang on to its lead late in the second half and suffered its first loss of the season against Arizona Wednesday night, 68-64, at the McKale Center.
The loss moves NM State to 6-1 on the year, matching the 2007-08 team with a 6-0 start to the year.
Despite shooting .478 from the floor in the second-half and a career-high 20-point effort from Tamera William, it was second-chance points that doomed the Aggies. Arizona (5-1) turned an 11-5 edge on the offensive boards into 16 points compared to the Aggies two.
The Aggie defense gave NM State an early 13-0 lead and held the Wildcats scoreless until the 3:54 mark when Dejza James made the backend of her two free throws. Malena Washington gave the Wildcats their first field goal on the next possession.
However, a 6:49 scoring drought by the Aggies coupled with a 15-1 run by UA cut the NM State lead to 24-22 before Abby Scott (Warm Springs Tribe) drained a 3-pointer from the right wing.
From that point on, both teams struggled from the floor. Arizona outscored NM State 15-6 in the second frame to get within 29-28 at the break.
The Aggies continued to have trouble finding their rhythm on offense in the second half, but the Wildcats also struggled.
With NM State leading 44-43 at the 1:27 mark in the third quarter, Taryn Griffey gave Arizona its first lead of the game.
A pair of free throws from Sasha Weber, however, gave NM State the lead back and extended the lead to 49-45 when William knocked down a deep ball with six seconds left on the clock.
Abby Scott, who finished with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting downtown, gave NM State a 58-53 lead with 6:06 remaining in the game when she knocked down her third long ball of the game.
A three-point play from Washington followed by a layup tied the game up at 58 with 4:16 on the clock.
William put the Aggies back on top when she completed the and-1 opportunity to give NM State the, 61-58, lead with 3:10 left to play.
Out of a timeout, Weber knocked down a deep 3-pointer with the shot-clock winding down to knot it up at 64 with 1:16 left to play.
However, an offensive rebound from Breanna Workman and free throws from Washington with nine seconds on the clock sealed the game for Arizona.
Weber finished with 16 points and five steals for NM State while Brooke Salas chipped in with 10 points and eight boards.
NM State now returns to the friendly confines of the Pan American Center where the Aggies have won 17-straight against I-10 rival, UTEP, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2.
