LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Trailing by as many as nine points in the second half, the Idaho women's basketball team came from behind to stun the host New Mexico State Aggies, 68-65, Wednesday at the Pan American Center

As in the team's 84-81 overtime victory over Boise State last Saturday, balance was key for the Idaho (4-13, 2-2 Western Athletic Conference) women, as all five starters hit double-digit points. New Mexico State (12-7, 2-3 WAC) had just two scorers with more than eight points in the game.

"They were back-to-back nail-biter games," Idaho coach Jon Newlee said. "I think the success in the BSU game really gave our team a sense of confidence when this game got close, and then kind of same scenario played out here and we were able to handle the pressure.

"Coming  back from down nine points in the second half in a road game takes a lot of guts."

Idaho shared the ball and hit the Aggies from all angles, while defensively, they stifled the NMSU attack by holding its three leading scorers, Jasmine Lowe, Crystal Boyd and Madison Spence, to just 25 points on 10-of-30 (.333) shooting. The three had entered the game averaging a combined 42.0 points on 42 percent shooting.

"We talked about extending the zone and not giving them the wide-open looks and letting them get into rhythm," Newlee said. "They're all rhythm shooters, and in the stretch where they went up, it was because they were in rhythm and in transition. We finally got some good ball pressure and that was a factor in getting them out of rhythm."

Juniors Rachele Kloke and Yinka Olorunnife led the balanced Idaho attack with 14 points apiece, while Bianca Cheever added 13, Shaena Kuehu had 12 and Charlotte Otero dropped in 10 points. Kuehu also led the Vandals with eight rebounds, all on the defensive side of the ball.

Idaho was hot from the field for a second consecutive game, as the Vandals nailed 25 of their 51 attempts for a .490 percentage. The team also hit .333 from 3-point range and .611 from the free throw line. NMSU went .419 overall and a blazing .524 from 3-point range, but only made six trips to the charity stripe and converted two after the Vandals committed a season-low seven fouls.

"I think they realized after the Hawaii game that we're not just going to go in and beat people one-on-one and that sharing the ball is the only way we're going to be successful," Newlee said. "We did a great job of sharing the basketball tonight, taking great shots, and making the shots."

Idaho won the battle in the paint, as the Vandals outscored the Aggies 22-18 down low. The Vandals also outscored NMSU 12-10 off turnovers and 9-4 on second-chance points, despite giving NMSU a 12-6 advantage on offensive boards.

Trailing by nine points with 13:09 remaining in the game, Idaho hit four straight shots and went on an 8-2 run over the next 2:22 to get within three at 47-44. After another Aggie basket put NMSU ahead by five at 9:27, the Vandals again outscored New Mexico State on an 8-2 run and took a one-point lead at 52-51 with 6:49 remaining.

"They (NMSU) hit two threes in transition and put us down nine, then Shaena went coast-to-coast in transition twice and got us right back in the game.

Idaho's one-point lead was short-lived, however, as five quick NMSU points put the home team ahead by four with just under six minutes remaining. It was Idaho that put on the finishing touch, though, as the Vandals fired off an 11-0 run, capped off by a pair of Cheever long-balls sandwiched around an Olorunnife 3-point play, and the Vandals went up seven, 66-59, with 1:36 to play.

Boyd, NMSU's top scorer entering the game, had made just one bucket at that point in the game, but she fired off two good 3-pointers on successive possessions to draw the Aggies within striking distance, but Idaho made free throws late to stave off the New Mexico State comeback try.

The task ahead for Idaho will be to shift focus to San Jose State, which the Vandals play on Saturday, and try to get the elusive conference road trip sweep.

"What we talked about after the game was not losing our momentum," Newlee said. "We know we've got a chance to sweep a road trip, and that's pretty special in this league. We're going to enjoy tonight, then we've got to get our minds back together and get focused on San Jose State."

The Vandals and Spartans will face off at 5 p.m. (PST) at The Event Center at San Jose, Calif., on Saturday.