Poor Shooting In First Half Dooms Shaw Against New Mexico State

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - Shaw struggled to find a shooting stroke in the first half, then saw a strong attempt at a comeback fall short as they fell to Division I New Mexico State 61-53 in a game played at the Pan American Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Bears shot only six for 29 - an anemic 20.7 percent - in the first half, including going zero for 11 from beyond the three-point line. In the second, Shaw improved to 43.3 percent from the floor.

New Mexico State kept Shaw in the game with their own shooting woes, hitting only 26.9 percent in the first before improving to 47.6 percent in the second. The Aggies also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Lady Bears 51-31.

But the Lady Bears performed well on defense, forcing 28 NMSU turnovers and scoring 20 points off those turnovers. It was defense and an inside game on offense that turned around the game late in the second half for the Lady Bears. On the game, the Lady Bears outscored the Aggies 22-12 in the paint.

Shaw actually had the lead very early in the game, when Aslea Williams converted one of two free throws to give the Lady Bears a 3-2 lead. New Mexico State then ran off 11 unanswered points to take a lead that they never relinquished.

GAME STATS

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