ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Junior Cherise Beynon put up a career-high 32 points to lead The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team (3-4) to a 64-49 victory over the visiting SMU Mustangs (5-3) on Saturday afternoon at WisePies Arena – The Pit. The Lobos pulled off the exciting victory over the tough squad in front of over 4,300 fans who came out to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Pit.
Beynon’s 32-point offensive performance ranks her tied for fourth all-time in Lobo history for most points scored in a single game. She was the only Lobo to score in double figures and was second in rebounds with 11 to senior Kianna Keller. Keller posted a career-high 13 rebounds to surpass her previous best of 10, which she has done three times in her career.
“That was the hardest we have played and our kids were unbelievable,” head coach Mike Bradbury said. “They were locked into the plan, they made very, very few mistakes defensively; that was a big deal. We had to keep the ball out of the paint and keep (SMU) off the free-throw line and for the most part, we did that. That was a huge key and (we knew) that was going to be easier said than done.”
The Lobos came out hot in the first quarter, going on a 10-2 run to get out to an early eight-point lead. Not only was the offense on point, but the stellar defensive effort was made apparent when, at the first media timeout, the Lobos were shooting 60.0 percent from the field compared to just 22.0 percent for SMU. Near the end of the period, senior Richelle van der Keijl scored six points for the Lobos in a minute and a half span to take a 19-9 lead. UNM led by 10 at the quarter break, 21-11 and never lost the lead.
In the second quarter, junior Laneah Bryan scored a layup to make it a 12-point advantage before the Mustangs whittled it to seven. Beynon put UNM back in the lead and was the only Lobo to score in a four-minute stretch. She netted 10 points in that time frame contributing to a 7-0 run to put UNM up by 17, 35-18.
Cherise “Buckets” Beynon is HOT! She now has 24 points this afternoon after this 3 as we head to the 4th quarter. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/tCfYjXdSzA
— New Mexico Lobos (@UNMLOBOS) December 3, 2016
The teams went into the locker room with the Lobos holding a commanding 13-point lead, 35-22. UNM has now led at the half in six out of their seven games this season.
In the first half, UNM forced a typically sharp-shooting team to fire from the perimeter after denying most attempts in the paint. The Mustangs entered the contest shooting 40.1 percent as a team and only fired at a clip of 31.0 percent in the first half, 27.4 overall. The Lobos also kept SMU’s leading scorer, Alicia Froling (17.9 points per game) to just four points in the first half (12 overall).
While the Lobos have secured the half-time lead several times this season, they haven’t always been able to follow through and close. However, it was clear this game was different at the start of the third quarter when the Lobos came out just as energetic in the third as they had in the first. UNM took a hit though when leading-scorer Richelle van der Keijl (17.0 ppg) tallied her fourth foul on a questionable call with 7:54 to play in the third. As a result, van der Keijl played just five minutes throughout the second half and was only able to contribute eight points and six rebounds on the day.
UNM entered the fourth quarter with a healthy 13-point lead despite both teams scoring 17 in the third quarter and continued to shine until the game’s completion. Keller and freshman Mykiel Burleson saw all 10 minutes in the fourth quarter in which three Lobos were in foul trouble.
Several players saw increased minutes in the contest including a career-high 36 for junior Jayda Bovero and 37 for Keller. In addition, freshman Hannah Sjerven made her first career appearance.
Overall, the Lobos outshot SMU 39.7 percent to 27.4 percent and grabbed 47 boards to just 39 for the Mustangs. The Lobos also went 27.8 percent from three-point range and 61.9 from the free-throw line compared to 15.8 from three for SMU and 92.3 percent from the stripe (12-13).
UNM is set to return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 6, as they take on Minnesota at WisePies Arena – The Pit. The match has been called the toughest UNM will face in the beginning of the season as Minnesota is currently 5-3 after outscoring Detroit Mercy 111-91 on Saturday.