ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was a grinder against a physical foe and far from pleasing to the eye, but The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team will take it.
The Lobos rallied from a 48-44 fourth-quarter deficit by ending the game on a 13-1 run – including a crucial four-point play from Laneah Bryan – to defeat a scrappy Air Force squad 57-49 Saturday afternoon at Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit.
UNM (19-7 overall, 7-6 Mountain West) overcame shooting struggles to the tune of 32.1 percent from the field (18-for-56) by clamping down defensively – including holding the Falcons (2-21, 2-10), who’ve now lost 11 games by single digits this season, without a field goal over the final six minutes of the game.
“This is what you get when you play Air Force,” UNM coach Mike Bradbury said. “When you look since we’ve played them in late December, every game they’ve played since then has been just like this one. Their record by no stretch indicates how dangerous of a team they are. They are really, really good defensively. … This was a hard-earned victory for us.”
.@UNMLoboWBB defeats Air Force 57-49! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/ltJ7kJ6SRE
— New Mexico Lobos (@UNMLOBOS) February 10, 2018
UNM called timeout with 5:56 remaining after a 5-0 run by Air Force gave the Falcons a 48-44 advantage. Out of the timeout, Tesha Buck found Jaisa Nunn under the basket and she scored as she was fouled (she missed the free throw) to cut the deficit to 48-46.
Following a stop on the defensive end on Air Force’s next possession is when UNM’s key momentum-shifting play of the game came.
Cherise Beynon drove the ball in and attracted a pair of defenders, leaving Bryan open from the left wing. The senior took the 3-pointer, and as she was knocked to the ground by an Air Force player trying to box out, the ball bounced off the rim, high off the glass, back off the rim and in as the official called the foul. Bryan connected on the free throw to give the Lobos the lead back at 50-48.
4Q | FOUR-POINT PLAY FOR THE LEAD! Bryan gets the friendly bounce on the 3-pointer as she’s fouled to give the Lobos a 50-48 lead on Air Force. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/hJtg10161l
— Lobo Women’s Basketball (@UNMLoboWBB) February 10, 2018
“Cherise drove and she took my defender and made a great play and found me open,” Bryan said. “I shot the ball and she fouled me. … I think plays like that bring a team a lot of energy. I think it got us going a little bit. … I didn’t (see it even go in), but I assumed it did because everyone got excited.”
Air Force’s Emily Conroe – who scored all of the Falcons’ 10 points in the fourth quarter – split a pair of free throws with 5:00 remaining to cut the UNM lead to one, but it also turned out to be Air Force’s final point of the game as the Lobos scored the next seven (five from Nunn) to win 57-49.
Nunn had her fourth consecutive 20-point game as the junior finished with 25 points to go along with eight rebounds in what was a tough battle in the paint.
4Q | Get BIG Jaisa! Nunn with the three-point play to increase the Lobo lead over Air Force to 55-49. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/O434Qzazmb
— Lobo Women’s Basketball (@UNMLoboWBB) February 10, 2018
“Air Force is a real physical team,” Nunn said. “They are one of the most physical teams in this conference you just have to battle it out, but you also have to play under control and not get too frustrated.”
Beynon finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals while Bryan had nine points (including UNM’s only two 3-pointers of the game) and a pair of assists.
Conroe led three Falcons in double figures with 15 points.
UNM returns to the road Wednesday when they travel to take on Utah State.