Under the blazing lights of the Pan American Center, the New Mexico State Aggies clashed against the Sam Houston State Bearkats in a Conference USA Matchup, recognizing National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
Aiming to end their three-game losing streak and stack on a win to their 7-14 record against the 13-6 Bearkats, whose record lands them third in CUSA. NMSU came out with fire in their eyes – fending off an almost immediate shot and returning it to the other end for the first two points of the game, scored by Aggie Loes Rozing.
Nearing the five-minute mark with a 5-3 Aggie advantage, Morane Dossou broke out of the two-minute-long 3-3 tie while tensions ran high on the court, and the Bearkats continued to chase and match the Aggies lead. Eventually pulling away with back-to-back layup shots by Sam Houston’s Deborah Ogayemi and Whitney Dunn, the Bearkats held their ground until the last second of the quarter, slipping behind NMSU at 14-11.
Kicking the second quarter off with back-to-back points shot by NMSU’s Lucía Yenes and Imani Warren, the Aggies held on to their lead despite SHSU’s strong defensive efforts to knock them down. Approaching the five-minute mark with a 25-19 lead, fouls were flying as the Aggies were tanked with four, and the Bearkats with two.
NMSU’s offense and defense fought hard to maintain, even while being pelted with fouls. Yenes led New Mexico State into halftime with nine points and four rebounds, steadily approaching her season personal record of 27, achieved against Southern California.
Ending the last half at 32-20 with a 24% Bearkat field goal ratio compared to the Aggies’ 58%, NMSU’s Dossou came out once again with a layup to continue the team’s hot streak.
Not having led since the first quarter, SHSU battled to close in their trail on the Aggies, but, at 14 points behind with a little over four minutes remaining in the third quarter, plays to catch up were becoming increasingly vital.
“I feel like today in the game, we really [executed] like the game plan. [Sam Houston] is a really hard team, they love to attack, and I feel like we did, like, a pretty good job,” Yenes said.
As cheers and chants from the band and crowd alike echoed across the court, the fourth quarter looming over the 52-36 NMSU lead, pressures continued to rise with the game on the line.
“I’m just super proud of this team. I think we played the toughest team in the league as far as their brand of basketball,” Coach Jody Adams said. “I just feel like it was a whole team staff effort in this win, but super proud of just how hard we played.”
Bursting out with a layup to combat the Bearkat’s eight-point scoring streak, layups by DeAvion Wilson and Yenes helped defend the Aggies’ command.
With the clock ticking down to under two minutes left and less than a 10-point difference between the teams, the Bearkat’s last ditch efforts to gain a lead were feistily made but were silenced as the Aggies lassoed in a win of 65-57.
“I think we’re going to face a, you know, another talented team, but just in a different way. Sam Houston’s talent is their toughness, their resiliency, their competitiveness. You know, not to say that LATech doesn’t bring those qualities either, but they bring a different skill set,” Adams said ahead of their next game.
New Mexico State Women’s Basketball will return on Saturday, Feb. 7, against the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters at 12:00 p.m. at the Pan American Center.
![Group leaders [left to right] Jacarthie Brazil, Kira Baum, Carter-Elise Keating, and Abby Watkins pose for a picture after a successful interview. April 21, 2026.](https://nmsuroundup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/01_AnnaB_Health-Club_LowRes.jpg)
Anonymous • Feb 10, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Great work Addisyn! Always doing an amazing job writing.