Open Announce

De La Cerda and Hurst heat up from deep; Lobos beat NMSU 86-67

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – After going 0-for-7 from three-point range in the first quarter and missing their first 11 three-point attempts, the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team found their rhythm from beyond the arc late in the second quarter and used that to help spark themselves to an 86-67 win over in-state rival New Mexico State University.
 
Fueling that success from beyond the arc were Jaedyn De La Cerda and Ahlise Hurst as the sharpshooting duo combined for all 11 of the Lobos’ (4-0) makes against the Aggies (1-3) on Sunday afternoon.
 
The first made three-pointer of the game for the Lobos was knocked down by Hurst at the 2:39 mark of the second quarter and gave UNM an eight-point lead, 31-23. The Lobos would go on to close out the half on a 9-2 run and carry a 15-point lead into the locker room, 40-25, as Hurst nailed a second trifecta at the 1:18 mark while De La Cerda buried two three-pointers with under a minute to go.
 
Prior to the three’s begging to fall, the Lobos had to fight their way back into the game after the Aggies jumped out to a 15-2 lead with 6:06 remaining in the first quarter. While shooting three-pointers ended up becoming the headline in the game, a conventional three-point play is what got the Lobos settled in. After the Aggies took their 15-2 lead, De La Cerda converted an and-one opportunity to make it a 10-point game with 5:10 left on the clock.
 
That conventional three-point play sparked what was a 13-1 run over the next 3:26 of game time and saw the Lobos claim their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 1:44 left in the first quarter. The Aggies were finally able to break the run with 1:32 left and ended the quarter with a two-point lead, 19-17.
 
In the second quarter, the Lobos took over the game on both ends as they out-scored the Aggies 23-6. In that second period, the Lobos shot 53% overall from the floor (8-of-15) and as mentioned prior, knocked down four three-pointers. On the defensive end, the Lobos held the Aggies to 14% shooting overall (2-of-14) and 1-of-3 from long range in the second quarter.
 
After the offensive struggle in the second quarter, the Aggies found their footing in the third quarter and ripped off a quick 6-0 run over the first minute and a half to cut the Lobo lead to single digits, prompting a time out by the Lobos. Following that timeout, the Lobos snapped the run on a layup by freshman guard Corina Carter at the 7:49 mark of the third quarter.
 
The Lobos would maintain a relatively comfortable lead the remainder of the quarter but were unable to build on it any as the Aggies stayed in the game at the free throw line. In the third quarter alone, the Aggies were 12-of-12 from the charity stripe.
 
Similar to the second quarter, the Lobos owned the final quarter of the game, and did so by in large part from distance. In the fourth quarter, the Lobos were 6-of-10 from three-point range. Four of those makes came within the first few minutes of the quarter as Hurst and De La Cerda traded off triples as the Lobos grabbed their largest lead of the game at 21 points with 7:46 to go in the game. The Aggies tried to fight back and pulled as close as 12 points 3:35 left, but the Lobos weathered that comeback and ended with their largest victory of the season at 19 points, 86-67.
 
The Lobos will now prepare to head east on I-10 and take on UTEP on Tuesday morning. Tip-off against the Miners is scheduled for 11 a.m.
 
NOTES

  • The Lobos have now won five-straight games against the Aggies in the Rio Grande Rivalry
    • Under Coach Mike Bradbury, the Lobos are 6-1 against NMSU
  • Jaedyn De La Cerda led all scorers with 26 points. Last year at NMSU, De La Cerda had a breakout game scoring 21 points against the Aggies.
    • In her last two games at NMSU, De La Cerda is averaging 23.5 ppg
  • De La Cerda also added a career-high eight assists on Sunday
  • For the third time in four games, Ahlise Hurst has scored at least 20 points as she scored 22 against NMSU.
    • In each of those 20-point games, Hurst has made at least six three-pointers
  • With De La Cerda and Hurst scoring at least 20 points, the Lobos have now achieved that feat in consecutive games.