LOGAN, Utah – The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team outscored Utah State in the second half but it wasn’t enough as it fell 72-56 to the Aggies Saturday afternoon in Logan, Utah. The Lobos are now 1-2 in Mountain West play and 8-6 on the season. Utah State is now 2-2 in the Mountain West and 7-8 on the season.
“I like their fight in the second half but the first half the wheels fell off,” said head coach Yvonne Sanchez. “We just didn’t finish and score. We had wide-open looks on the outside that we just didn’t put down. I know we are capable of shooting because in the second half, we did a really good job.”
Sophomore guard Cherise Beynon led the Lobos by tying her career-high of 21 points. She went 7-for-16 from the field, that included 4-for-7 from beyond the three. She was perfect from the free throw line, going 3-for-3, to go along with one assist, one block and one steal. Senior guard Bryce Owens was second on the team in scoring with 12, finishing 5-for-9 from the field and 2-for-4 from the three point line. She also finished with three assists. Emily Lines played 11 minutes for the Lobos and finished with six points, going 2-for-4 from the three. Shumpert finished with eight points.
“Cherise and Bryce both led that surge in the second half. I like what Emily is doing and I think she is getting more comfortable. She was playing well before the stress fracture. She played six minutes last game and this game 11.”
The game didn’t start out too well for the Lobos in the first half. After going on an 8-0 run to take a 13-8 lead, the Lobos struggled to get more offense going as they finished the final four minutes without scoring. Utah State went on a 11-0 run in that final four minutes to retake the lead and head into the second quarter with a 20-13 lead over the Lobos.
Utah State caught fire in the second quarter as the Aggies scored 25 points in the quarter, shooting 64 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three. The Lobos only shot 27 percent from the field in the quarter, scoring only 10 points. The quarter started out with a layup from freshman Jaisa Nunn and a three from freshman Emily Lines. Owens finished the half with a three but the Lobos trailed 45-23 at the half.
New Mexico boosted their energy in the second half, outscoring Utah State 16-12 in the third quarter. The Lobos registered back-to-back-to-back field goals from Owens which included a three but Utah State maintained their lead with layups in the paint. The Lobos did force Utah State to four turnovers in the final four minutes of the quarter but the Aggies’ lead turned into 57-39 going into the final quarter. The Lobos shot their best of 45.5 percent in the third quarter, going 5-for-11 from the field and 2-for-3 from the three.
In the fourth quarter, Beynon and Lines hit back-to-back threes to come within 13. The Lobos fought to come back within 11 with 2:19 left to play but a foul and a three pushed the game back up to 16 with 37 seconds left to play. The Lobos outscored Utah State 17-15 in the final quarter.
For the game, the Lobos shot 32 percent from the field, 35 percent from the three point line and 71 percent from the free throw line. They finished with 24 rebounds, only nine offensive, and for the fourth time this season the Lobos finished with eight three’s.
The Lobos will look for a win at home, as they return Wednesday to play host to UNLV at 7 p.m. in WisePies Arena. For tickets, call 925-LOBO or visit GoLobos.com. Please take extra time when come to WisePies Arena, as there will be extra security measures taken to ensure your safety.