Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - -

New Mexico 60, Utah State 59

After overcoming two double-digit deficits, Utah State women's basketball was unable to make quite a big enough comeback Saturday, falling 60-59 to the Lobos of New Mexico.

Freshman guard Funda Nakkasoglu recorded a career-best 28 points in the loss, leading the Aggies in scoring in a dominating fashion, as she was the only USU player to score in double-digits. Senior guard Elise Nelson led the team defensively, snagging six rebounds. Junior guard/forward Julianne Anchling made her first appearance on the court in Saturday's game after sitting the first half of the season awaiting NCAA eligibility.

With the loss, the Aggies fall to 3-13 overall with an 0-4 Mountain West record. The Lobos improve to 6-9 with a 2-2 league record, extending their winning streak to seven games. At seven games, Utah State is in the midst of its longest losing streak since the 2005-06 season.

The game opened with tight play on both sides of the court, resulting in even scoring for the first five minutes. The Aggies then went on a 6-0 run, holding the Lobos scoreless between media timeouts. However, New Mexico retaliated with an 11-0 run of its own, gaining momentum of the half.

In the final stretch of the half, Antiesha Brown and Alexa Chavez combined for 13-straight points for New Mexico, The Lobos went into the halftime break with the advantage, up 34-28, having led by as many as 10 points.

After going nearly four minutes without scoring in the second half, Anchling was the first Aggie to score after the break, draining two back-to-back 3-point shots, cutting into the Lobos' lead and earning the first points of her Division I career.

The second portion of the second half mirrored the early part of the first half as the Aggies caught up to the Lobos and held on tight. A single free throw ended a five-minute scoring drought for the Lobos, making it a two-possession game with just one minute left on the clock.

In the final 30 seconds, Nakkasoglu made a perfectly timed trey, while fouling at the other end of the court. Cherisse Beynon missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the Aggies were unable to capitalize on the possession. Anchling fouled Brown, her fifth and disqualifying foul, but Brown again missed the first attempt from the stripe. After calling the final team timeout, the Aggies went into the final seconds of the game with the ball, but turned it over, unable to get another shot up and securing the win for the Lobos.

The Aggies shot a season-best 53.8 percent from three Saturday, making a season-high seven shots from behind the arc. Overall, Utah State shot 47.7 percent (21-of-44) from the field and 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from the free throw line. New Mexico shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the field, 20.0 percent (3-of-15) from three and 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from the free throw line.

The Aggies have their first bye game of the conference season next week, with a full week off. The team is back in action next Saturday, Jan. 17 at Air Force in a 2 p.m. (MT) game. The game will be streamed live through the Mountain West Network at utahstateaggies.tv.

Aggie women's basketball tickets will be available by contacting the USU Athletics Ticket Office at (435) 797-0305 or at 1-888-U-STATE-1 (1-888-878-2831) for more information or visit the Utah State athletics web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com.

Fans can follow USU women's basketball on Twitter, @UtahStateWBB, on Instagram, @USUWBasketball, as well as on Facebook, at USUWBB. Aggie fans can also follow Utah State Athletics on Twitter.com, @USUAthletics, on Instagram, @USUAthletics and on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.