Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -

New Mexico 78, Utah State 67

Struggling through a late run by the opponent, Utah State women's basketball opened its week of road competition in a 78-67 loss at New Mexico Wednesday.

The Aggies were led by freshman guard Olivia West who scored a career-best 19 points on the night, as she went 6-of-10 from the field, including 5-for-8 from the 3-point line. Freshman forward Hailey Bassett joined her in double figures with 11 points. New Mexico had two players with 20-point games, while another added 18. Freshman forward Shannon Dufficy led Utah State with nine rebounds on the night, but the Lobos out-rebounded the Aggies overall, 40-36.

With the loss, Utah State falls to 8-6 on the year and 1-2 against league opponents. New Mexico improves to 7-6 overall and remains perfect in conference play at 3-0 with the win.

From the start, the game was very even-paced and back-and-forth. Four minutes in, the Aggies saw their first lead of the night on a 3-pointer from freshman guard Jessie Geer. After a bit of back-and-forth action, Utah State continued to benefit from the performance behind the arc, when West drilled back-to-back 3s to put the Aggies on top once again. Her strong shooting held through the quarter, as she hit shots from the 3-point line to beat a shot clock and again at the final buzzer of the quarter. After one, Utah State led, 21-16.

The Lobos started the second quarter with a bit of a run, but the Aggies answered with one of their own. Utah State was held to just free throws for a three-minute stretch, but managed to hang onto their lead. Bassett and West controlled the Aggie offense for the majority of the second quarter, combining to score 12-straight points and 12 of the team's 16 total points. West scored the final basket of the half for the Aggies to reach a new career-high. Heading into the break, USU remained ahead, up 37-32.

The back-and-forth action of the early minutes of the game returned at the start of the second half. New Mexico dominated the first minutes of the third quarter, taking the lead back for the first time since the first quarter. By the media timeout of the third, the teams had seen five lead changes and four ties, as both teams capitalized on the other's mistakes. The later minutes of the quarter went in New Mexico's favor, as the Lobos closed the period on a 7-1 run in the final minute to lead, 62-54.

Utah State tried to chip away at New Mexico's advantage through the fourth quarter, getting as close as four points. The battle continued down the final stretch of the game, as the teams alternated shots. With just over five minutes to play, sophomore guard Katie Toole drew a charge off New Mexico and followed it up with the team's ninth 3-pointer of the night. Going on a 7-0 run, the Lobos built their lead back to double figures over the final five minutes of the game. West attempted one final trey for the Aggies, but the Lobos had the final possession to secure the win.

Overall, Utah State shot 41.0 percent (25-of-61) from the field, including 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from the 3-point line, and was 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from the free throw line. New Mexico shot 40.3 percent (25-of-62) from the field, 33.3 percent (8-of-24) from behind the arc and 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the free throw line.

The Aggies continue the six-day roadtrip at UNLV this weekend. Utah State will take on the Lady Rebels in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 5 p.m. (MT). The Aggies will then return to the comfort of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum for a pair of home games, hosting Wyoming on Wednesday, Jan. 11 and San Diego State on Saturday, Jan. 14.

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