Lobos tripped up on the road at UNLV

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team saw their 11-game winning streak come to an end on Wednesday night as the Lobos were tripped up on the road at UNLV, 66-57. It was also the Lobos’ first defeat in the early portion of the Mountain West season.
 
The Lobos (12-2, 2-1 MW) came into the game against UNLV with the aforementioned lengthy winning streak after fending off a tough Nevada team on the road this past Saturday. In that game, the Lobos held a double-digit lead with just over half of the fourth quarter to go before the Wolfpack rallied back to knot the game with 1:42 to go. The Lobos eventually escaped Reno with a 66-64 win to keep their winning streak intact.  
 
In the game against UNLV, the Lobos struggled to find a rhythm offensively early, but were still able to keep the score within reach throughout the first half and even carried minimal leads after the each of the first two quarters. In that first half, most of the stats were a virtual deadlock with the exception of three-point makes as UNM made four compared to UNLV’s one make. Half of those trifectas were knocked down by sophomore guard Jaedyn De La Cerda, who went on to make a career-high three three-pointers, and helped the Lobos take a 31-30 lead into the locker room.
 

Check out some of the highlights from our game at UNLV! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/q2MVz5I4AB

— Lobo Women’s Basketball (@UNMLoboWBB) January 10, 2019

The third quarter, however saw the greatest disparity between the Lobos and the Lady Rebels (3-11, 1-2 MW) as UNLV out-scored UNM 20-8 in the quarter. Through that 10-minute period, UNLV controlled the inside as 16 of their 20 points in the quarter came in the paint. All of those high-percentage scoring opportunities helped the Lady Rebels shoot 45% (9-of-20) overall from the floor in the third.
 
In addition to their efficient scoring, the Lady Rebels were also able to create separation on the scoreboard thanks to their defense as they forced the Lobos to commit eight turnovers in the quarter. UNLV was able to score six points off of those turnovers and eventually closed out the third with an 11-point lead, 50-39.
 
That lead grew out as large as 14 points on a couple of occasions in the fourth quarter. The last of those came with 2:42 to play as the Lady Rebels’ Nikki Wheatley converted an old-fashioned three-point play. Over the next minute or so of the game, however, the Lobos pulled the score to within six points, 61-55, thanks to three-pointers by Ahlise Hurst and Jayla Everett.
 
That would be as close as the Lobos could get the rest of the way out as the Lady Rebels went on to make five of six free throws over the final 43 seconds of the game to secure the victory.
 
NOTES

• The Lobos had three players in double figures and were led by Jaisa Nunn with 19 points
• Nunn’s 19 points gives her 1,236 career points and lifts her to No. 10 all-time on the UNM scoring list. She passes Khadijah Shumpert (2012-16) who scored 1,231 points in her career
• Nunn also led the team in rebounds with 11 to record her sixth double-double this season
• Jaedyn De La Cerda scored 11 points off the bench on the strength of 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range. It was the first time her collegiate career that De La Cerda made multiple three-pointers in a game
• The Lobos have now lost six-straight games to UNLV overall