LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Janelle Perez made the most of playing in front of a large contingent of family and friends Friday.
 
Unfortunately for Northwestern State so did New Mexico State's Brianna Freeman.
 
Freeman connected on 12 of 18 field goal attempts, tallying a game-high 27 points as the Aggies pulled away for a 65-54 victory against Northwestern State on the first day of the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic.
 
"We kept it at two possessions for a long time," fourth-year co-head coach Brooke Stoehr said. "Freeman hurt us against the zone. We had a number of good looks where we got our shot blocked."
 
Perez, a senior from nearby El Paso, Texas, enjoyed a milestone performance, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers en route to a team- and season-high 18 points. Perez' point total pushed her career mark to 1,233, moving her into 20^th place in school history ahead of Diamond Crosby (1,231).
 
It marked the third straight double-figure scoring performance for Perez, who tallied 14 total points in NSU's first three games of the season.
 
Facing constant pressure from the Aggies (5-0), Perez acquitted herself just fine handling the ball as well.
 
"She's capable of (scoring) every day," Stoehr said. "I've talked to her about asserting herself more, and she understands this team needs her to do that until our young posts grow up. She and Bea (Attura) have carried the mantle for us. They pressed all game long, and Janelle had six assists and one turnover."
 
In her past three games, Perez has handed out 16 assists and committed just four turnovers.
 
As a team, however, Northwestern State committed 15 turnovers, which New Mexico State turned into 16 points. New Mexico State coupled that with a plus-14 advantage on the rebounds to extend their season-opening win streak to five.
 
The Aggies outscored NSU 12-0 on second-chance points as well.
 
"We had a couple of key turnovers when they went on that run in the third quarter," Stoehr said. "We gave up 15 offensive rebounds, and we were bigger than them. You look at our numbers – we shot 50 percent in the second half, shot 52 percent from 3. That's what we want. The biggest thing is rebounding. We'll have to turn the page quickly. We'll go watch film and get ready for Long Beach."
 
Northwestern State held a 33-30 lead after Perez snapped a 30-all tie with a 3-poitner at the 5:25 mark of the third quarter. New Mexico State then posted an 11-0 run and scored 15 of the quarter's final 21 points.
 
The Aggies continued the run by tallying the first eight points of the fourth quarter to take control of what had been a tightly contested game through the first 30-plus minutes.
 
Attura joined Perez in double figures with 13 points, her sixth straight double-figure scoring performance. Shanice Davis gave NMSU a second double-figure scorer with 11 points.
 
Northwestern State returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m., facing Long Beach State, which participated in the 2015 WNIT. The game will be broadcast on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and including 92.1 FM KSYR in Shreveport and 103.1 FM in Many and Leesville. Tony Taglavore, in his eighth season, will deliver the play-by-play call.