“I thought offensively we played pretty well,” head coach Mark Trakh said. “I’m just really pleased. Danesia with 30 points, Brianna (Freeman) with 13 and then Abby followed up a great game with another good game. She (Abby Scott) missed four or five early in the game and came back and that is a big sign of maturity.”
The trio had help from freshmen Brianna Freeman with 13 points and 10 points from Moriah Mack to mark just the second time in two years that five Aggies have scored in double figures. Freeman also grabbed seven rebounds and two blocks on the game.
The Aggies shot a season-best 49 percent from the field and 42 percent from the 3-point line. Williamson was 7-of-11 from 3-point range and finished 10-of-15. She and Scott combined to tie the record for most 3-pointers made in a single game.
“Now the next step is to actually go on the road and win away from the friendly confines of the Pan American Center,” Trakh said.
NM State scored the first five of the game before letting Kansas City score six straight. The Aggies took back the early lead 11-6 with back-to-back three’s by Williamson. The Aggies stretched the lead through the first 10 minutes of the game by as much as 10 points.
UMKC went on a 10-2 run, eight coming from the free throw line, to make it 25-18. The Aggies then got back on track at about the eight-minute mark with a pair of 3-point shots by Williamson and Scott.
The Aggies controlled the ball for the remainder of the half as a 14-5 run over the ‘Roos gave NM State a 45-29 lead with two minutes left in the opening half. Each team sank a pair of free shots and the half wrapped up with a layup inside the paint by Weber.
In the first 20 minutes of play, NM State led the ‘Roos 51-37, marking the Aggies highest scoring half of the season. Williamson scored 17 points and was 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Scott had 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists and Weber sank eight points and led the team with five assists. NM State combined for 10 assists, four blocks and three steals.
The team shot 44 percent from the floor and 44 percent from beyond the arc. They held UMKC to just a team shooting percentage of 25, while failing to make a three in six attempts. The Aggies did send the ‘Roos to the line 20 times, which accounted for 19 of their halftime points.
The teams exchanged shots to start the second half with the Aggies holding a double-digit lead and extended it to a 21-point lead over the ‘Roos with just under 10 minutes left on the clock when Scott got settled into her shots with back-to-back three’s for a 20-8 run and an 84-61 advantage.
The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes with NM State maintaining its dominant lead. A three by Weber from the right side broke the 100-point mark for a 102-74 lead with just over a minute to play. The sophomore hit a layup before UMKC scored the final bucket of the game.