ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico fell just short in the second and final round of the Rio Grande Rivalry with New Mexico State, falling 52-47 on Sunday afternoon in WisePies Arena.
The Lobos top performer came from freshman Jaisa Nunn, who tallied 12 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Jayda Bovero was second on the team in the scoring column with a career-high nine points and six rebounds.
The game didn’t start out pretty for either team as there were 16 turnovers in the first quarter. The Lobos had seven within the first five minutes but defense helped them hold the Aggies to a five-minute scoring drought to finish out the quarter.
On the offensive side of the ball the Lobos got five points from senior Bryce Owens and four each from Nunn and senior Khadijah Shumpert, giving them a 17-6 lead going into the second period.
New Mexico went up by as much as 15 in the second after a Cherise Beynon layup but the Lobos went cold from the field, not scoring until 1:57 left in the third. The Lobos were only able to generate three points, all coming from the free throw line from Bovero and Beynon. New Mexico State went on a 18-3 run in the third to take the lead and head into the fourth with a 39-31 lead over the Lobos.
The battle between the I-25 schools came down to the final period of the game. The Lobos began to create more offense to cut the lead to four,45-41, after a Bovero three-pointer with 3:20 left to play. The Aggies got a jumper to go up by six with 2:59 left. With 1:11 left to play, Alex Lapeyrolerie secured a layup to cut the Aggies’ lead 49-44. The Lobos spent the final minute trying to foul and regain possession but it was too late as the Aggies secured the game with a final layup with 36 seconds left.
The Lobos shot 28 percent (14-50) from the field, eight percent (1-12) from three point range and 75 percent (18-24) from the free throw line. New Mexico State was 18-for-51 (35 percent) from the field, 2-for-17 from the three-point line and 14-for-21 from the free throw line. The Lobos out-rebounded the Aggies 39-36.
New Mexico is now 7-4 on the season and will move into conference action after the holiday, matching up with Nevada on Dec. 30 in Reno. The first home conference game is set for Jan. 2 against Fresno State. For more information, visit GoLobos.com.