ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After suffering two straight losses, the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team got back on the winning side with a big 14-point victory over UNLV, 67-53 Wednesday night in WisePies Arena.
“That was our best conference game so far, no doubt,” said head coach Yvonne Sanchez. “It was really a team effort. This is Lobo basketball. The light is flickering and it’s ready to turn on.”
The Lobo offense was explosive on their home floor as they received double-digit performances from four players for the first time this season. Senior Khadijah Shumpert led the squad with 18 points and nine rebounds. She was 5-for-13 from the field and 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Senior guard Bryce Owens tied a season-high of 15 points. She was 5-for-10 of the field, including 3-for-5 from the three.
Sophomore guard Cherise Beynon recorded her fourth straight game in double figures with 13 points. She was 4-for-12 from the field and 2-for-4 from the three. Junior post Whitney Johnson was the other double-figure scorer with 11 points. She finished with five rebounds and was 5-for-7 from the field.
“Our big three (Khadijah, Bryce, & Cherise) came and played at the right time and everyone else stepped up and helped them out. Whitney and Khadijah really posted up well; they caught the ball and they finished.”
It was an all-around game for the Lobos on both sides of the ball. Beynon got things going at a minute and half into the game. The Lobos defense held UNLV to a scoring drought in the first three and half minutes. UNLV didn’t score until the 6:26 mark on a free throw. The Lobos kept consistent offense the rest of the quarter, getting a three from Beynon with four seconds left in the quarter to take a 17-11 lead into the second.
The Lady Rebels weren’t going down easy as they pushed back with a 6-0 run to start the second quarter. Owens boosted the Lobos to a six-point lead with seven minutes left in the half. Both teams only got two more scores the rest of the way with the Lobos going up by eight with 2:43 left after a Jaisa Nunn layup. UNLV responded with 1:44 left to play in the half with a three but UNM still held on to a five-point lead, leading 29-24 at halftime.
The third quarter was a battle between the two teams. The Lobos went up by as much as nine three different times. The Lobos got post production down low, getting two key three-point plays from Shumpert and Johnson. UNLV brought it back down within two with 52 seconds remaining the quarter but a key layup from Johnson gave the Lobos a four-point lead heading into the final quarter.
UNM’s offense really sparked in the final quarter as they went on a quick 6-0 run to start. Shumpert sunk two free throws before her and Beynon went off for back-to-back layups. The Lobos defense made many stops as they did not let UNLV score until the 7:55 mark. UNLV only put together six points in the first eight minutes of the fourth. The Lobos kept hammering on offense, getting big three’s from Owens and key free throws to secure the victory.
UNM shot 42 percent from the field, 33 percent from the three and 78 percent from the free throw line. They recorded 17 assists and 12 steals to go along with five blocks. UNLV shot 35 percent from the field 33 percent from the three and 50 percent from the free throw line.
The Lobos improve to 9-6 on the season and 2-2 in the Mountain West. They will face Wyoming on Saturday on the road but will return to WisePies Arena on Jan. 23 to face San Jose State. For tickets, visit GoLobos.com or call 925-LOBO.