Utah Tech could not withstand a late Aggie rally as the Trailblazers dropped their second-straight home game to visiting New Mexico State, 58-55, on Saturday afternoon in the Burns Arena.  

How it happened 
The Trailblazers (4-4/0-0 WAC) saw a slim 18-17 halftime advantage disappear after NM State (2-6) opened the second half with a 15-6 spurt to race out to a 32-24 cushion with 3:49 to play in the third quarter.
 
Freshman forward Merceius Mili finally ended the Utah Tech drought with her first collegiate 3-pointer at the 3:30 mark. 
 
Mili's jumper seemed to ignite a struggling Blazer offense, as Utah Tech rattled off a 19-4 run to take its largest lead of the game at 43-36 after a Kaylee Borden lay-in with 19 seconds left in the frame.
 
Borden accounted for eight of the Blazers' 19 points in the rally, which included a Maddie Warren trifecta and a Chardonnay Hartley lay-in and free throw. 
 
Borden kept the momentum going to begin the fourth quarter, scoring five-straight points to help extend the Utah Tech lead to nine at 48-39 with just under eight minutes to play in regulation.
 
Unfortunately for the homestanding Trailblazers, they would be held to only seven more points the rest of the way.
 
Meanwhile, NM State methodically chipped away at the deficit and eventually pulled even at 54-54 Keira Hudson 3-pointer with 1:26 to go.
 
The score remained tied until the closing moments when Aggie guard Imani Warren drained a mid-range jumper from the right wing. 
 
NM State would also draw a rebounding foul while Warren's shot was airborne, and after Marta Guilera split a pair of free throws, the Aggies found themselves up three at 57-54 with 14 seconds remaining.
 
Utah Tech had chances on offense in the waning seconds, but the Blazers could not get anything to drop from the perimeter as NM State escaped with the road victory. 
 
Numbers to know
Borden led all scorers with 22 points, 18 of which came in the second half, including 10 of the Blazers 12 fourth quarter points.
 
Borden went 8-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-8 at the foul line, and finished with seven rebounds on the afternoon.
 
Hartley added eight points and two assists, while Maddie Warren and Brie Crittendon poured in seven points apiece. 
 
Utah Tech struggled from the field, hitting on just 17 of its 56 attempts (.304), which included a 5-of-32 clip (.156) from the perimeter. The Trailblazers were also 16-of-25 (.640) from the foul line, though they did outrebound the Aggies by a 42-38 count, thanks in part to a career-high tying 11 boards from Paige Cofer.
 
Hudson led three Aggies in double figures with 16 points. NM State hit on 39.0 percent of its field goal attempts (23-of-59), including a 4-of-11 (.353) from beyond the arc. 
 
Up Next
Utah Tech will take a week off for final exams before returning to action next Saturday afternoon, Dec. 13, when the Trailblazers play host to Big West Conference power UC Santa Barbara. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 2 p.m. (MT).