EL PASO – While Tarleton women's basketball endured the tail-end of a seven-game losing streak in January, head coach Misty Wilson preached that better days were ahead. That the win-loss record was not reflective of the progress on the court the Texans had made. 

More than ever, the seventh-year coach's words were a clarion on Friday inside Eastwood High School, as Tarleton upended New Mexico State 62-53 in a wire-to-wire win. 

Indeed, the Texans seemingly have found their stride late in their Division I debut season. The triumph over the Aggies was Tarleton's fourth consecutive victory and put any lingering thoughts of the team's midseason slump in the rearview mirror. The Texans (8-12, 3-6) have now won five of their last seven ballgames and moved to fifth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with the win. 

The Aggies (5-11, 3-6) are arguably the most noteworthy opponent Tarleton has defeated. New Mexico State has won four of the last five WAC Tournament Championships and is the conference's longest-tenured member, having joined the WAC in 2005. 

But Tarleton largely played Friday's game on its terms.  

The Texans held the Aggies to a season-worst 25 percent shooting clip (18-72), swatted a season-high seven shots and led for more than 32 minutes. Tarleton had just 11 made field goals and shot 29 percent from the field but maintained its lead behind a season-high 36 free throws. The team's 42 rebounds tied its single-game high in contests versus WAC foes. 

Tarleton received contributions from a host of players, chief among them Emily Cunningham. The 6-0 junior recorded her first career double-double behind an 11-point, 10-rebound performance. The 6-0 junior also dished out three assists and had two blocks. Iyana Dorsey (12 points) and Lucy Benson (10 points) joined Cunningham in double-digit scoring while Kandyn Faurie and Marissa Escamilla chipped in nine points apiece. Benson and Escamilla nearly finished with double-doubles of their own, as the duo finished with nine and eight rebounds, respectively. 

New Mexico State led 5-0 four minutes into the game as Tarleton worked to break down the Aggies' full-court press. It proved to be the hosts largest and final advantage of the game, however.  

Four points each from Dorsey and Escamilla then fueled an 8-0 run over the ensuing three minutes to give Tarleton a lead it never relinquished. The Aggies pulled even at 11 on a buzzer-beating layup at the end of the frame, but Tarleton promptly responded with an extended 17-6 scoring spurt to build a 28-17 edge at the 3:22 mark of the second quarter. 

Tarleton packed the paint with its zone and forced the Aggies, which entered scoring the second-fewest points per game (62.6) of any WAC foe, into contested shots from the perimeter. The defensive strategy paid dividends, as New Mexico State went 2-15 from the field in the first quarter and 8-31 (21.6 percent) for the half. 

The Texans kept Aaliyah Prince (12.3 ppg) and Sophia Inoussa (11.1 ppg) – the Aggies two leading scorers – out of an offensive groove. The pair of guards combined for 25 points but collectively finished 7-25 from the field. 

Dorsey scored Tarleton's final six points of the half at the charity stripe to give the Texans a 30-23 lead at the break. The freshman tallied all 12 of her points in the first half and has now scored in double figures in 17 of Tarleton's 20 affairs. 

The Aggies got within three points of Tarleton at 34-31 near the midway point of the third quarter as the Texans committed a series of turnovers. Tarleton had 30 giveaways for the game against nine assists but offset possession issues with its robust effort at the charity stripe. 

The Texans closed the third quarter with seven makes at the foul line, four of which came from Benson, to lead 41-34 entering the game's final 10 minutes. Faurie (9-10) and Benson (8-10) both set career-highs in made free throws. 

Foul shooting was particularly decisive in the second half. New Mexico State went 6-6 at the line in the first half but was 9-17 following the intermission. The Aggies entered shooting a conference-worst 58 percent on free throw attempts. 

Tarleton put the Aggies away with a pair of 3-point shots. Jayci Morton drained an open look from downtown on the left baseline to put the Texans ahead 44-34 to begin the fourth quarter. The Aggies then got within three points of Tarleton at 48-45 before Cunningham connected from deep at the 3:15 mark of the fourth quarter to swell Tarleton's advantage to seven points. 

Cunningham's triple was the Texans' last field goal of the ballgame, but it didn't matter. Tarleton salted away the game with free throws, hitting 10-10 at the line down the stretch, and held the Aggies to one field goal over the final three minutes. 

The result added another layer to Tarleton's stingy defensive play of late. The Texans have held their last eight opponents to 56.6 points per game and allowed the opposition to score more than 65 points just once. 

The two teams conclude the back-to-back series at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It will be Tarleton's final road game of the season.