Wichita State Athletic Media Relations

Women's Basketball 1/4/2018 7:25:00 PM Corey Miggins, Sports Information Director

Women's Basketball Heads to New Mexico State on Saturday to Start WAC Play

Freshman Tyeshia Bowers and the CSU women's basketball team open Western Athletic Conference Play on Saturday at New Mexico State

Chicago State (0-15, 0-0) at New Mexico State (6-8, 0-0)
Date	Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018
Time	3 p.m.
Location	Pan American Center - Las Cruces, N.M.
Video	N/A
Radio	KRUX Radio
Live Stats	NMSU Live Stats
Social Media	@NMStateWBB (Twitter)

CSU-NM State WBB Game Notes

CHICAGO -

OPENING TIP: The Chicago State women's basketball team heads to Las Cruces, N.M. on Saturday afternoon to kick off Western Athletic Conference play when it takes on defending league champion New Mexico State at the Pan American Center beginning at 3 p.m.

SCOUTING CSU: CSU enters the second half of its season ready to start conference play after concluding its non-conference slate on New Year's Eve with a first-ever matchup at Pittsburgh before falling by a score of 87-49. The top players for the Green and White are freshman guard Tyeshia Bowers (Flint, Mich./Southwestern), redshirt senior guard Phylicia Johnson (Columbus, Ohio/Pickerington Central) and redshirt sophomore forward Ines Mata Boix (Madrid, Spain). Bowers leads Chicago State by averaging 13 points and 2.6 assists per game, while Johnson ranks second in scoring at 12.3 points a game. Mata Boix is producing team-high numbers of 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per contest while scoring an average of 8.5 points a game.

SCOUTING NMSU: New Mexico State brings a 6-8 season record into Saturday's conference opener which includes claiming victories in three of its last five games following an 89-60 home win over Western New Mexico on New Year's Eve. Junior guard Brooke Salas leads NMSU in scoring (19.1 ppg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg) while tying for the team lead in steals (1.7 spg) and connecting on 83 percent (34-of-41) from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Gia Pack ranks second on the team with 15.2 points, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game while grabbing a team-high 7.6 rebounds a game, and senior guard Zaire Williams is dishing out a team-leading 5.1 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY: NMSU has won all eight meetings with CSU since the Cougars joined the WAC in 2013-14. The Aggies claimed both contests last season, including a tough battle in Chicago on Feb. 4, 2017 via a 65-54 margin. The Green and White were led by Kaylee Allen's game-high 20 points and eight rebounds, while Cailin Nix added 14 points in the contest.

MOVIN' ON UP: Heading into conference play, redshirt senior guard Konner Harris (Sidney, Ohio/Sidney) has drained 177 three-pointers as a Cougar to rank third on the school's Division I list. She is four shy of tying former CSU standout Alyssa Waldon (2006-10) for second place with 181 made threes.

WAC LEADER: Mata Boix leads the WAC in offensive rebounds (3.7) per game while ranking third in rebounds and blocked shots per game.

UP NEXT: CSU returns to the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center for a pair of WAC home contests next week that begins on Thursday, Jan. 11 against Seattle with the opening tip set for 7 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Konner Harris: G; 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior

#1 Phylicia Johnson: G; 5' 8"; Redshirt Senior

#22 Ines Mata Boix: F; 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore

#10 Tyeshia Bowers: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#11 Konner Harris
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#1 Phylicia Johnson
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#22 Ines Mata Boix
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore
: F

#10 Tyeshia Bowers
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned