LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Freshman Alyssa Rader registered career-highs of 19 points and 15 rebounds and junior Rene Coggins added 15 points, but the Northern Arizona women's basketball team suffered an 87-53 loss to New Mexico State in the final game of the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic. The Lumberjacks' loss the host Aggies Saturday night dropped their record to 1-4 this season.

"We had our hands full both offensively and defensively, but I could not be more proud of our group's fight and determination," said head coach Sue Darling. "It was a complete 180 compared to last night's game. I'm excited to see our growth going forward from this tournament and although we didn't play our best ball, I love this team. We're taking a couple of lumps early, but it'll pay off in the end."

Rader picked up her fourth double-double in five games to start her career, while also becoming the first Lumberjack to pull down 15 rebounds in a game since Raven Anderson did so versus Southern Utah on Jan. 10, 2015.

Rader halted a game-opening 11-0 Aggie run three and a half minutes into the contest, after NAU missed its first five shots. Following the slow start in which they committed four turnovers leading to seven Aggie points off turnovers, the 'Jacks settled and closed to 20-10 following consecutive buckets by junior Catelyn Preston and Rader. However, those points would be NAU's last as it could not capitalize on a New Mexico State scoring drought of four minutes to close the first quarter.

Junior Rene Coggins quickly got the second quarter started with her second three-pointer of the game, but the Aggies went on an ensuing 17-2 run that led to a 37-15 lead for the home team midway through. In all, New Mexico State outscored NAU by 16 in the second quarter and took a 47-21 advantage into halftime.

After a rough first half featuring 14 turnovers, the Lumberjacks cleaned up their play in the second half totaling just four miscues. NAU also made its way to the free throw line 17 times in the final 20 minutes after attempting just two freebies in the first half, as the 'Jacks continued to battle trailing on the scoreboard.

In the third quarter, Rader and Coggins combined for all 12 of NAU's points, but New Mexico State finished the quarter on a 12-0 run. The Lumberjacks found their most offensive success in the final quarter, outscoring the Aggies by one, 20-19, with freshman Kaleigh Paplow providing energy scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds – all on the offensive glass – in the last period. Junior Bradlee Cotton also scored four points in the fourth quarter providing quality minutes in reserve.

"Rene Coggins was a stud out there and put her team on her back," Darling said. "Alyssa Rader played her most minutes so far and did a great job playing defense without fouling. I thought Bradlee and Kaleigh came off the bench and did a great job. We saw people step up and show that they can have a big impact on our team."

NAU was burned by New Mexico State's lethal long distance shooting as the Aggies shot 50 percent (16-for-32) from behind the arc. New Mexico State also shot 50 percent overall from the field, while NAU shot just 32.2 percent. The Lumberjacks did win the rebounding battle, 40-39, for the fourth time in five games, but the Aggies scored 23 points off 18 Lumberjack turnovers.

Coggins knocked down three three-pointers to extend her streak to four games with at least two triples made. She played all 40 minutes for the first time this season.

NAU will play in the Walkup Skydome for the first time this season on Tuesday, hosting New Mexico Highlands in the team's third annual Field Trip Day game. Tip-off in the Skydome will be an early 11 a.m. and will be televised live on Fox Sports Arizona and Fox College Sports Pacific. The game will also be broadcast on the radio on Hits 106.1 FM in Flagstaff and 97.9 FM Eagle Rocks in Prescott.