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Lobos start fast and maintain in 81-71 win over Houston

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After facing early double-digit deficits in their first two games of the season, The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team flipped that script on Tuesday night against the University of Houston as they jumped out to a first quarter lead and played with that lead the rest of the way out en route to an 81-71 win inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit.
 
Last season, the Lobos (3-0) and Cougars (1-2) played a double-overtime thriller in Houston. The Lobos emerged victorious in that matchup, 89-84. That game was back-and-forth and featured 13 lead changes and 11 tie scores.
 
Tuesday night’s game in Albuquerque played out more one-sided, but still in favor of the Lobos. The Cougars did open scoring with a three-pointer on their first possession, but that lead was short-lived as Ahlise Hurst answered right back with a trifecta of her own. That would be the first of six three-pointers for Hurst, who ended with 20 points.
 
The Cougars reclaimed another slim lead minutes later, but as was the case with their first lead, it was short-lived with the Lobos answering right back on the ensuing possession to tie the game. After knotting the game a second time, the Lobos took the lead they would not relinquish at the 6:12 mark of the first quarter as Najala Howell completed a conventional three-point play. Howell went on to score a game-high 26 points, which also established a new scoring watermark as a Lobo.
 
From Howell’s three-point hoop-and-harm conversion, the Lobos built out a lead as large as 11 points in the opening period before ending with a 10-point advantage, 23-13.
 

 
In the second quarter, the Lobos continued to build on their lead, eventually taking a 17-point cushion, 43-26, in to the locker room.
 
Fueling that surge was the Lobos defense as they forced 10 turnovers in the quarter and turned that into 15 points on the other end. That stout defensive performance started from tip-off as the Lobos ended the first half with 18 forced turnovers and 23 points off those turnovers.
 
Once more, the third quarter was strong for the Lobos as they scored 27 points in the period to match the highest points scored in a quarter this season. In that third quarter against the Cougars, the Lobos were nearly lights out shooting the ball as they posted an overall field goal percentage of 61% (11-of-18) which included a perfect 3-of-3 effort from beyond the arc.
 
With the efficient scoring in the quarter, the Lobos swelled their lead as large as 27 points with just under a minute to go.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars amped up their defensive pressure and forced the Lobos to turn the ball over nine times. Heading into the final period, the Lobos had committed just eight turnovers. That increased pressure helped the Cougars chip away at the sizable Lobo lead, but they were only able to get within 10 points before the final horn went off.
 
The Lobos will now prepare for a stretch of games away from Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit over the next two weeks. First up will be a road game at New Mexico State on Sunday, November 17. Tip-off for the first meeting between the in-state rivals is scheduled for 2 p.m. Two days later, the Lobos will take on UTEP for an 11 a.m. tip on Tuesday, November 19.