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Second half surge carries Lobos to 84-55 win at NAU

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team used a strong scoring surge at the beginning of the second half to propel themselves to a comfortable 84-55 win on the road at Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Lobos (7-1), who trailed by six points midway through the first quarter, got their offense rolling and defense solidified the remainder of the first half as UNM took a seven-point lead into the locker room. Coming out of the break was the turning point of the game and served as the defining statement for the Lobos.
 
Within the first four minutes of the second half, that seven-point lead for the Lobos more than doubled to an 18-point advantage as UNM began the third quarter on an 11-0 run. The first eight points of the run were all Jaisa Nunn as she was 4-for-4 with easy layups after teammates found her inside the paint. All four of the lay-ins by Nunn were assisted with Aisia Robertson and Jayla Everett each registering two assists. Sharp-shooting Ahlise Hurst buried a three-pointer at the 6:06 mark to cap the 11-0 run for the Lobos.
 

 
Two minutes later, UNM opened up a 20-point lead as Emily Lines knocked down a three-pointer off an assist by Jaedyn De La Cerda. The lead would grow to as large as 22 points in the third quarter with 2:26 remaining in the period thanks to another layup by Nunn.
 
In the third quarter alone, the Lobos out-scored the Lumberjacks (4-4) 23-9. UNM also limited the NAU to just 19% shooting in the quarter going 3-of-16, while the Lobos were 53% making 10-of-19. Nunn was a big part of that offensive success as she was a perfect 6-of-6 in the third quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Lobos continued to control the action on both ends of the court as their lead did not dip below 21 points the rest of the game. UNM was also able to swell their lead to as high as 30 points on a layup by Bre’Asiajah Mathews at the 2:09 mark. The Lobos would go on to win by a 29-point margin as the final score closed at 84-55.
 
For the game the Lobos shot 40% overall from the floor (30-of-75) and were 30% from long range (7-of-23). At the charity stripe, UNM shot 74% making 17-of-23 free throws. On the glass, the Lobos out-rebounded the Lumberjacks, 59-45. The 59 rebounds are a team-high this season, but what’s even more impressive is that no Lobo had more than eight rebounds in the game. The leading rebounder was Nike McClure with eight boards.
 
The Lobos had three players score in double figures led by Nunn with her 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Nunn was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Hurst was next in scoring with 17 points. Hurst was 6-of-14 overall but 4-of-10 from long range. Rounding out double figure scoring was Robertson with 10 points.
 
The Lobos will now have a week to prepare for another road game as they travel down south to take on New Mexico State in the second edition of the 2018-19 Rio Grande Rivalry. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Las Cruces.