ST. GEORGE, UTAH — On Saturday, Dec. 6, the NM State women’s basketball team took on Utah Tech after their back-to-back games during Thanksgiving break. The Aggies delivered a gritty comeback to claim their first road victory of the season, knocking the Trailblazers 58-55 at Burns Arena.
The matchup got its start in favor of Utah Tech when the Trailblazers struck first, thanks to leading scorer Kaylee Borden slicing through the NM State defense to open the scoring. Borden ended with 22 points.
After Borden’s basket, the Aggies responded when Marta Guilera hit a jumper to tie things up, followed by freshman guard Keira Hudson providing the next six points for NM State. This matched her career-high early in the contest.
Still, NMSU ended the first quarter trailing 12-8. A low-scoring second quarter saw only 15 combined points and at halftime, the Aggies found themselves down 18-17. Bench players had provided most of NMSU’s offense early on, with 12 of the team’s first 17 points coming from non-starters.
The third quarter saw offenses awaken with NMSU opening with a three-pointer by senior guard Imani Warren, the team’s first of the day. This gave the Aggies their first lead.
NMSU briefly stretched the advantage to eight after a layup by Guilera (32-24), but Utah Tech came back with a 9-0 run over 80 seconds to reverse momentum. By the end of the quarter and with just seconds left, Hudson knocked down her first triple of the day, but NMSU still trailed 43–39 heading into the final period.
Early in the fourth quarter, a 5–0 run by Borden pushed Utah Tech’s lead to nine (48–39). This put NMSU in a deep hole.
However, the Aggies did not fold. Senior guard Anna Csenyi knocked down a three — her first points of the game — while forward Lucía Yenes and forward Morane Dossou added timely buckets. That cut the deficit to a single possession, 51–48, with under four minutes remaining.
With time winding down, NMSU turned to Hudson. She calmly launched and drained a three-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 54.
Utah Tech, which had attempted 32 triples, missed its final shot from deep — giving the Aggies one last chance. An offensive rebound by Guilera sparked an inbounds play from the baseline. Newcomer Emma Christiano found Warren, who shook her defender and pulled up from the right elbow to calmly sank the go-ahead basket. On the same possession, a foul put Guilera on the line. She converted the rare three-point play, extending the lead to 57–54.
A late desperation three from Utah Tech fell short and the Aggies escaped with a 58–55 win.
This road win marks the team’s first away victory for the 2025-26 season, snapping a five-game slump.
It also highlights the growing depth and resolve of this Aggie squad. Between bench contributions, freshman scoring punch and late-game composure, the team showed resilience and chemistry. These are qualities that could prove important as the season moves toward conference play.
Up next, NMSU returns home to face the Western New Mexico Mustangs at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec 14, 2025, at the Pan American Center.
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