ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team (15-13, 10-7 MW) closed its regular-season home schedule with a close, Senior Day loss to Wyoming (19-8, 11-5 MW) on Saturday afternoon, coming up just short in a 60-58 final score that came down to the final seconds. Following the contest, the Lobos honored three seniors including Kianna Keller, Richelle van der Keijl and Josie Greenwood, who came back from her home country of Australia for the event.
The last three Lobo losses have all been by less than four points and come down to the final seconds against top teams in the league. UNM’s last three losses have been by a combined seven points.
“We played hard, we competed, we followed the plan,” head coach Mike Bradbury said. “We outrebounded them – and they are a really good rebounding team. We did everything you’re supposed to do to win a game, but until we make shots, it’s hard to beat a good team.
“These last four games are as good as we’ve played all year and as good as we’ve been defensively. I can’t ask for more, these teams are good.”
The Lobos were led by van der Keijl, who tallied her ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 15 rebounds, and junior Cherise Beynon who also collected 18 points in her 23rd game scoring in double digits. Junior Alex Lapeyrolerie added eight points including a pair of 3-pointers while junior Laneah Bryan also scored a pair from behind the arc, going 2-for-3 from three-point land to contribute six points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal. Just six Lobos saw action in the game compared to a wealth of fresh legs for Wyoming that included six players coming off the bench for a total of 26 points.
With nine lead changes and six ties, Saturday’s game was tight throughout the first three quarters with neither team able to gain more than a five-point advantage, aside from a brief Lobo eight-point lead on an 8-0 run in the first quarter. The run put UNM up 12-4 just over midway through the first quarter before the Cowgirls responded with a 8-0 run of their own on a pair of 3-pointers and a layup to tie it 12-12.
The teams went back and forth throughout the second quarter and, with the score 23-23 with 42.6 seconds left in the first half, it was a Beynon buzzer-beating putback under the hoop that put the Lobos up by two, 25-23 at the half.
At the conclusion of the third quarter, the Lobos were up by one, 40-39, before Wyoming went on a 10-0 run to kick off the fourth and take a nine-point lead, 49-40 Cowgirls.
UNM battled back throughout the period but still trailed by nine with 2:29 left in the final frame. Bryan hit a crowd-pleasing 3-pointer with 1:48 left in the game to cut the Lobo deficit to six, 55-49. Two clutch 3-pointers by Lapeyrolerie alternated with two Cowgirl free throws closed the gap to just two, 57-55 with 37 seconds left on the clock.
The Lobos utilized their timeouts and played the foul game to stop the clock losing Beynon, who fouled out, in the process. Another pair of free throws extended the Wyoming lead to four with 34 seconds left, 59-55. The game looked just out of reach until, with 11 seconds on the clock, van der Keijl hit a layup with a foul to notch a three-point play, bringing the score within one, 59-58.
The Lobos immediately fouled on the inbound, sending Wyoming’s Clara Tapia to the line. Tapia made one-of-two from the stripe to make it a two-point game and the Lobos called their final timeout with nine seconds left to draft a play, Wyoming followed with its final timeout.
UNM passed the ball around the arc looking for the open three to win it, but a rushed Lapeyrolerie three went wide as the buzzer sounded.
UNM outrebounded Wyoming 40-36 and limited the Cowgirls to 38.5 percent shooting from the floor but it was the 42.9 3-point percentage compared to UNM’s 22.7 percent that sealed the game. The Lobos outscored the Cowgirls 32-16 in the paint and tallied 19 fast-break points to just two for Wyoming.
The Lobos will have a bye on Wednesday, allowing nearly a week of recovery before taking to the road for their final regular-season game on Friday, March 3, at San Diego State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT.
The Lobos are still waiting to see the final standings that will determine when they will begin the 2016-17 Mountain West Tournament that starts Monday, March 6.