USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The University of New Mexico put together a dominating performance on both offense and defense to claim a 63-33 road victory over Air Force Wednesday night. The Lobos move to 11-7 overall on the season and 4-3 in the Mountain West.
Freshman Jaisa Nunn led the way for the Lobos, scoring a team-high 12 points and seven rebounds. She was 6-for-9 from the field and picked up two assists. Sophomore Cherise Beynon finished with 10 points, shooting 3-for-8 from the field, 2-for-3 from the three and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. She also finished with a team-high five assists. Senior Bryce Owens contributed eight points to go along with three assists and three steals.
The Lobos started out with a 6-2 lead over the Falcons, with four of their six points coming from the free throw line. The Lobos then went on a 12-0 run over a six minute span to give the Lobos a 14-2 lead with 1:45 left. Defense was key in the first quarter, holding the Air Force to a scoring drought for much of the quarter. Air Force sunk a free throw to give them five points but the Lobos led 18-5 at the end of the first.
Defense was key in the second quarter as the Lobos only allowed three Air Force points. Air Force only scored at the 4:36 and at the 1:44 mark. Offense progressed into a bigger lead for the Lobos. Freshman Jannon Otto and junior Whitney Johnson combined for the first eight points, while Nunn went off for eight straight points to finish out the half with a 34-8 lead.
Air Force began to work its way back in the third, scoring 18 points. but the Lobos matched those 18 points to maintain a 52-26 lead. The Lobos put together an 11-point fourth quarter and allowed seven Air Force points to cruise to a 63-33 victory, their biggest victory since their 40-point win over Nicholls State.
The Lobos shot 48 percent from the field, 33 percent from the three and 64 percent from the free throw line. They finished with 39 rebounds, 15 assists, 11 turnovers, three blocks and eight steals.
New Mexico will return home to WisePies Arena Saturday to take on Boise State at 2 p.m. For tickets, visit GoLobos.com or call 925-LOBO.