New Mexico Lobos Women’s Basketball – in WisePies Arena/The Pit
New Mexico Lobos 56, Northern Arizona 37
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
It was a subliminal cheer that pretty much rocked WisePies Arena in the closing seconds: “Tacos. Tacos.” It was a silent chant; yet real.
Really, that was the only thing in question at the end of New Mexico’s 56-37 Pit win Sunday over Northern Arizona. Would Jack In The Box be dealing out free tacos or not? The magic number is 55 points and it didn’t look like the Lobos would reach that figure.
The hungry crowd was getting antsy.
Then the Lumberjacks kept fouling and then the Lobos made enough free throws to pull them close to the 55 mark. Actually, it looked lost with 13 seconds to play and Khadijah Shumpert missed a layup.
But UNM’s Kenya Pye got the rebound and kicked it out to Alexa Chavez at the top of the key and the former walk-on launched.
Her bomb rattled in. The crowd went nuts. UNM won 56-37. Tacos!
“Really? No,” Chavez told the media when asked if she knew her first-ever 3-pointer brought in the free tacos. “I’m glad it did.”
Chavez’s bomb accented a second half for the Lobos that was pretty much solid with a few sloppy moments.
“I can’t describe this game,” said Sanchez, who saw her Lobos go to 4-7 riding a three-game win streak into the Christmas break. “It was kind of a roller coaster. It definitely was a Magic Kingdom ride. It was really ugly. It was one of those grind-it-out games.
“We settled down in the second half and built a lead.”
The Lobos held NAU to 13 first-half points and UNM ran up the ramp at halftime with a 23-13 lead despite shooting 25.7 percent from the floor. UNM warmed up in the second half to shoot 47.1 percent. UNM dominated the backboard 50-to-32 with 17 offensive boards.
“It’s good to win,” said Kiana Keller. “It’s pushing us all in the right direction.”
Said Alexa Chavez: “When we play together, we can be unstoppable.”
UNM’s bench outscored NAU 25-to-2. The Lobos had no players in double figures with Brown pacing the scoring charts with nine points. Alexa Chavez had seven points and a season-high 10 rebounds. Her career high is 11 boards. Kianna Keller had seven boards and a season-high four blocks.
“These are the hardest games. The ones right before Christmas,” said Sanchez. “Everyone is showering (right now) and heading to the airport. We have won three in a row and we have some momentum going into conference. It’s been a tough and brutal schedule.
“I thought Kianna had two of her best games this week. It was one of Alexa’s best games.”
Sanchez said she wasn’t going to nitpick the win, but she was not happy with 19 turnovers against 10 assists “which is terrible against a team that doesn’t press you. Our guards have to take care of the ball better.”
The Lumberjacks looked like they might play with the Lobos early and held a 13-11 lead at the 9:44 mark of the first half. They went into the half still clutching those 13 points. NAU made careless passes and missed shot after shot.
The Lobos ran and muscled their way into a 19-point lead at the 9:27 mark of the second half. NAU cut that gap to 43-33 with 1:52 to play, but it was too little, way too late.
“NAU is a gutsy, scrappy team that won’t let it die,” said Sanchez. “No lead was ever comfortable.
“We have won three in a row and I’m proud of them. They deserve to get out of here and get a break and be with their families.”
First Half: New Mexico Lobos 23, Northern Arizona 13
The Lobos led at the half 23-13 despite shooting 25.7 percent from the floor – 9-of-35. NAU actually shot better at 27.3 percent, but the Lumberjacks had 14 turnovers. The Lobos outscored NAU 15-to-2 on points off turnovers. The Lobos also ruled the boards 27-to-17.
Neither team made a 3-pointer in the first half. The Lobos didn’t take advantage of the foul line going 5-of-11 while NAU was 1-of-3 from the stripe. Brown led UNM with seven points.