ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team started off on a strong note, claiming its first exhibition victory 78-41 over Western New Mexico on Wednesday evening in front of 4,820 Lobo basketball fans at WisePies Arena aka The Pit.
“I liked our defense and our effort,” said head coach Yvonne Sanchez. “It was a good exhibition game and normally I’m not happy after exhibition games because it gets sloppy, but I don’t think we ever got sloppy. I really liked what I saw in some rotations and combinations.
The Lobos were led by freshman Jaisa Nunn, who scored a game-high of 18 points while picking up seven rebounds. She was 9-for-13 from the field and picked up six of her seven rebounds on the offensive end. She also picked up two steals. Kianna Keller was the Lobos leading rebound as she brought down 10, six defensive and four offensive, respectively. Keller also used her height advantage, collecting five blocks.
“Jaisa has really done well. Against our practice guys she really mixes it up. She just goes to work and 9-for-13 is great shooting.
“The biggest difference in this team is that our post play is pretty good and we’re pretty deep,” said Sanchez. … “And that is without two of our best players. It’s going to be a problem for me figuring out who to play and when, but I don’t mind that problem. I’m really pleased with all our posts.”
The game started off with the Lobos going on a 9-2 in the first three and half minutes which was energized by two Keller free throws and some good post play from Whitney Johnson, who hasn’t played in a game in two years due to being on a mission in Mexico.
The Lobos went on to take the first quarter 15-11 but started to really pump up the energy on defense in the second quarter. The Lobos did not allow the Mustangs to score for 6:30 minutes and pounded the baskets, chalking up 26 points to the Mustangs’ four, making the score 41-15 heading into the locker room.
Western New Mexico came out in the third quarter with a little more energy but New Mexico kept consistent post play and made a few outside shots to outscore the Mustangs 24-17. Freshman Emily Lines got her feet wet beyond the arc, going 1-for-2. Freshman Jannon Otto also put up some made shots in her first Lobo game.
Going into the fourth quarter with a 65-32 lead, the Lobos never even looked back as they continued to have good post play down low. The Lobos went on a 10-2 run to start the quarter but only scored three more points in the final six minutes to cruise to victory.
The good post play doesn’t come without good guards. Bryce Owens finished the game with six assists and put up 10 points, going 5-for-10 from the field. Cherise Beynon put together four assists to go along with nine points (3-for-8 from the field).
“I think we looked pretty good,” said Owens. “We were confident in all of our shots and our passes. We lagged some on defense, but I think we were confident there too and overall I think this is something that we have been looking for and it showed on the court.”
All the Lobos who were available saw the court in the game with the three freshmen getting their feet wet as a Lobo basketball player. Lines finished with three points while Otto was the second highest scorer on the team with 12 points. Otto was 4-for-6 from the field and the free throw line.
The Lobos scored 56 points in the paint to the Mustangs’ 12 and picked up 28 points off of the 27 Mustang turnovers. The Lobo bench came off to score 32 points while the Lobos also took advantage of fast break points, scoring 24.
The Lobos will finish up exhibition play on Saturday night, matching up against New Mexico Highlands at 6 p.m. in WisePies Arena aka The Pit.