COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In a game they never trailed, the University of New Mexico Lobos used a crushing 18-5 opening second half run to pull away from the Air Force Falcons and win handily 70-47.
The win is UNM’s third in a row and sixth in the last eight games. The three-game conference winning streak is the first for the Lobos in five years.
UNM (7-9, 3-2 Mountain West) never trailed and never were tied other than 0-0, taking the lead for good 1:14 into the game on a Khadijah Shumpert jumper. UNM stayed ahead of Air Force (1-15, 0-5) for the entirety of the first half. The Falcons, however, kept the game close, drawing within three at 27-24 to cap a 10-3 run. That was at the 3:08 mark. For the next 12 minutes it was all New Mexico.
The Lobos scored the final four points of the first half and then blasted out an 18-5 run to open the half, making it 22-5 overall ending any potential drama. After Cherise Beynon and Shumpert hit baskets to close the first half at 31-24, Benyon hit a baseline jumper to open the second, and a pair of Antiesha Brown free throws made it 35-24.
Air Force answered with a Cortney Porter3-pointer, but that was the only made basket for the Falcons in a 13-shot stretch, and UNM went on a 10-0 run to put the game away by the second media timeout. Alexa Chavez, Brea Mitchell and Kianna Keller all hit baskets in the run as head coach Yvonne Sanchez got solid contributions up and down the roster.
“I thought collective effort, we did really well,” said Sanchez on her postgame radio show. “They are a tough matchup because they play darn near four or five guards. I thought some of our kids grew up tonight.”
Those kids, who mostly came off the bench, combined to outscore the Air Force bench to the tune of 33-9.
For Sanchez, with a game against a very good Boise State team looming on the road on Saturday, the big start to the second half was what the doctor ordered, especially for Shumpert, who still has a tender ankle that force her to miss the Colorado State game.
“Khadijah went 4-for-4, but I didn’t play her much in the second half as her ankle was bothering her a little, and we are going to need her Saturday,” said Sanchez.
While UNM’s defense was stifling at times, forcing Air Force into a miserable 29.1 percent shooting night (23.1 in the second half), the Lobos were hot offensively shooting a season-high 51.9 percent (27 of 52), including a blistering 60.9 in the second half.
New Mexico was paced by Shumpert, who led the way with 12 points, and Beynon had 10. UNM spread its 70 points around, with 12 of the 13 Lobos that played hitting a field goal. UNM dominated the paint 26-14, and dominated the glass 45-23. UNM didn’t miss many shots but when it did, its players got them back, grabbing 13 offensive board.
“I just thought we had great contributions by a lot of people,” said Sanchez. “I’m proud of our team and I’m proud of a road win. We’ve won three in a row in conference and we haven’t done that in a while and we are seeing this team grow up right before our eyes.”
NOTES: The grouping of Beynon, Shumpert,Chavez,Keller and Maddie Muraida combined to go a perfect 14-for-14 from the field … Bryce Owens filled the stat sheet with five points, six rebounds and five assists with just one turnover … Benyon was +26 in her 22 minutes … UNM leads the series 35-2 against Air Force … UNM is now allowing just 50.8 points per game over its last four games.