by LAS CRUCES, N.M. – With 10 seconds left in the game, Abby Scott (Warm Springs Tribe) sank both of her free throws to give NM State the cushion it needed on Thursday night as the Aggies narrowly escaped Sacramento State, 80-77.
The last time NM State started the season 3-0 was back in the 2007-08 season when that squad started the year 4-0.
“Big RPI win for us,” head coach Mark Trakh said, when asked about the game. “They’re going to win a lot of games and New Mexico is going to win a lot of games, so we had two good RPI wins for us in the last two days.”
A layup by Freeman, who finished the night with a team-high 18 points and 12 boards, gave NM State (3-0) a 75-72 lead with 3:28 left to play.
However, a scoring drought after Freeman’s basket coupled with a bucket from Sacramento State’s Adella Randle-El made it a one-point ball game with 1:31 left on the clock.
The Aggies couldn’t find the bottom of the hoop until there was 54 seconds left in the game when Freeman knocked down a pair of free throws that preceded Scott’s with 10 seconds remaining.
Sacramento State’s (1-1) fast-paced style of play gave the Aggies trouble in the first quarter, converting eight NM State turnovers for 14 points to take a 24-18 lead. Freeman kept the Aggies within striking distance luckily, scoring 10 of her 18 points in the opening period on 5-of-6 shooting.
NM State flipped the script in the second quarter on the Hornets, matching their intensity on the defensive end and forced 12 turnovers. Like at the end of the game, it was free-throw shooting that gave the Aggies the upper hand. NM State was 8-of-10 from the charity stripe compared to Sacramento State, who was 2-of-4 from the line.
The Hornets extended their lead to nine several times in the second quarter, but a timely 3-pointer from Shanice Davis cut the lead to three before Scott completed the and-1 opportunity to make it 45 all heading into the break.
From that point on, it was the resiliency of the NM State players as the Aggies outscored the Hornets 21-18 in the third frame on 56.3 percent shooting.
Sasha Weber finished with another solid night, scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with six rebounds.
Tamera William notched her first-career double-double, grabbing 10 boards to go with her 14 points, including an 8-for-9 effort at the line. Davis also finished the night with 10 points for NM State.
Zaire Williams, who almost had a double-double coming off the bench, chipped in with a solid outing. The sophomore guard dished out a career-high eight assists to go with eight points and six boards for the Aggies.
Williams earned Trakh’s praise in the postgame press conference for her performance, saying she handled the ball better than any of the guards tonight against Sacramento State. He also went as far as calling her the player of the game as well.
NM State will now get a few days to rest and prepare for Southern Utah whom they play on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m.
