LOGAN, UTAH — After closing the first half down by six, The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team roared back with a 25-point third quarter to claim a 68-58 victory over Utah State on the road on Wednesday. The game marks the Lobos’ second win over the Aggies this season as junior Alex Lapeyrolerie led the squad with 21 points, just one shy of her career high.
With the win, UNM improves to 10-9 on the season, 6-3 in Mountain West play, while Utah State falls to 9-10, 2-6 in the league.
“Defensively, we weren’t following the plan (in the first half),” UNM coach Mike Bradbury said. “But in the third quarter, I give them credit, they took the challenge. We challenged them and they accepted it. I thought we were good in the second half, they (the players) did their job and I thought Alex and Cherise were exceptional.”
In addition to Lapeyrolerie’s 21-point performance, three other Lobos finished in double figures on the day including junior Cherise Beynon (15), freshman Mykiel Burleson (13) and sophomore Jaisa Nunn (11). Lapeyrolerie and Burleson each netted four shots from behind the 3-point line while Beynon added three from behind the arc. Burleson also collected a team-high and career-best eight rebounds.
The Aggies got out to a quick lead, going on an 8-0 run to open the game on five points from Utah State’s leading scorer Rachel Brewster. Brewster finished the game with 22 points as the only Aggie to tally double digits. With the score 13-5 midway through the first half, the Lobos closed the period on a 6-0 run of their own over the last 4:16 to make it a two-point game, 13-11 Utah State, heading into the second quarter.
Despite picking up the pace in the end of the first, the Lobos demonstrated difficulty offensively through the second period, tying the game once on a pair of Jayda Bovero free throws at 5:18 before allowing the Aggies to go on a 9-0 run to get out to a 30-21 advantage. The Lobos cut it to six at the half, 30-24 with a three-point play by Lapeyrolerie.
At halftime, Utah State was outshooting the Lobos 34.3-29.2 percent and the Aggies had posted half as many turnovers as UNM, 10-5. The Lobos had, however taken advantage of their free-throw opportunities, going 7-for-10 compared to allowing just two for Utah State (2-2).
A layup by Aggie standout freshman Shannon Dufficy kicked off the second half and put Utah State up by eight, 32-24, but a nearly immediate 3-pointer from Burleson sparked what would be a 22-1 run over 5:55 to take a commanding 13-point lead, 46-33. The run included a pair of 3-pointers for both Burleson and Lapeyrolerie and three layups from Nunn to help outscore Utah State 25-11 in the quarter.
The Lobos took the lead in the third and never looked back, extending it to as many as 16 points with 4:42 left to play in the fourth quarter. The Aggies chipped away at the UNM lead for the remainder of the game, resulting in the 10-point victory.
The Lobos outscored the Aggies on the day 45.3-36.1 percent and outrebounded the squad 42-32. UNM is now 10-2 on the season, 6-1 in the Mountain West, when securing the most boards. New Mexico fired rapidly from 3-point range on the night, scoring 11 compared to just five for the Aggies.
The Lobos look to continue their Mountain West success at home on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. at WisePies Arena – The Pit before hosting a bonus game on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.