ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team jumped back on track on Wednesday night with a 75-68 victory over Boise State at home at WisePies Arena – The Pit. Five UNM players finished in double figures for the first time since Feb. 12, 2014, (against Boise State) while junior Cherise Beynon came dangerously close to the Lobos’ first triple-double since 1978. Beynon finished the game with 11 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
UNM is now 9-8 on the season and improves to 5-2 in the Mountain West (third) while Boise State slips to 13-4, 3-3 in conference play.
Junior Alex Lapeyrolerie led the Lobos with 18 points and a season-best seven rebounds in a career-high 36 minutes. Senior Richelle van der Keijl scored 17 points to go along with eight rebounds while sophomore Jaisa Nunn and freshman Mykiel Burleson finished with 14 and 11 points, respectively. The Broncos were led by a 21-point performance from senior Brooke Pahukoa and 10 points from senior Yaiza Rodriguez.
The Lobos got out to a good start in the first quarter with Lapeyrolerie knocking down a three for the first Lobo points of the game before the teams proceeded to trade baskets throughout the quarter. With 1:34 on the clock the teams were tied at 16-16, marking the fourth tie of the game, Lapeyrolerie hit a jumper to make it 18-16 Lobos. Rodriguez hit a three to take a 19-18 lead with 30 seconds on the clock before Lapeyrolerie came through again with a triple with three seconds left to close the quarter with a 21-19 lead.
In the second quarter the Lobos pieced together three separate 7-0 runs to jump out to a 14-point lead at the half, 44-30. The Lobos also dominated the paint through the first half, outscoring the Broncos 22-6 down low.
Boise State began to narrow the gap in the third quarter, outscoring UNM 20-16, and the teams went into the fourth with the Lobos up by just 10 points.
The Broncos made it interesting in the fourth scoring the first basket of the period 30 seconds in to cut the Lobo lead to eight. Burleson hit two free throws to extend it back to 10 before a Pahukoa three made it a seven-point game with 8:07 left. Beynon answered with a three of her own to take it back to 10 but the teams continued to trade baskets until, with just 2:03 left, a layup by BSU’s Shalen Shaw cut the Lobo lead to just six, 69-63.
Another Bronco jumper made it a four-point game with 59 seconds left, 69-65 and Lapeyrolerie came in with a clutch jumper to make it 71-65 UNM. A three from Shaw made it a narrow three-point game with 34 seconds left and with time running out, Boise State was forced to start playing the foul game. Three straight fouls put the Lobos into double bonus and Beynon went to the line four times in 19 seconds, going 4-for-4 to slowly take the lead back to seven with 11 seconds left for the 75-68 win.
Overall, the Lobos outshot Boise State 41.2 percent to 31.3 including 26.3 to 21.4 percent behind the arc. The Broncos did, however, hold the advantage at the line, going a perfect 12-for-12 to just 14-of-21 for UNM (66.7 percent). The Lobos dominated in the paint scoring 42 points to just 22 for Boise State and posted 18 fast-break points to six for BSU.
The Lobos are set to return to action on Saturday, Jan. 21 at undefeated Wyoming (14-3, 6-0 MW) in a 2 p.m. MT contest in Laramie, Wyoming.