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Lobos drop thrilling MW opener in OT, 83-82

BOSIE, Idaho – Mountain West play opened up on Wednesday night and featured a marquee matchup between the University of New Mexico and Boise State women’s basketball teams. Picked to finish first and second respectively in the MW Preseason Predicted Order of Finish, the early season clash lived up to its billing in Boise as the game went to overtime and saw Boise edge UNM by a point, 83-82.
 
Wednesday night’s showdown between the Lobos (6-2, 0-1 MW) and Broncos (5-4, 1-0 MW) saw Boise State jump out to a quick 9-0 lead in little over than a minute of action in the first quarter. That white-hot start by Boise forced Lobo head coach Mike Bradbury to take two timeouts to try and stop the momentum by the Broncos.
 
A layup by Shaiquel McGruder at the 8:01 mark of the first quarter got the Lobos on the board. The Lobos then battled their way back into the game the remainder of the first quarter.
 
Trailing by six points through the first quarter, the Lobos continued to keep the Broncos’ lead within reach in the second quarter. Trailing by seven points at the 3:12 mark of the second quarter, the Lobos would rip off a 9-2 run over the next three minutes of game time to knot the game at 42-all. The tying basket was a fastbreak layup by Jaedyn De La Cerda with 13 seconds left in the half. Boise State responded on the ensuing trip down the court and carried a two-point lead, 44-42, into the locker room.
 
Coming out of the break, the Lobos had the first possession of the second half and made the most of it as Ahlise Hurst drained a three-pointer to give the Lobos their first lead of the game, 45-44. That lead quickly grew to a five-point lead at the 8:24 mark thanks to points in the paint by Jayla Everett and McGruder. The Broncos answered back with an 8-2 run to reclaim the lead, 52-51, With 6:09 remaining in the third.
 
The lead would change hands three more times over the next two and a half minutes of game time. The Lobos claimed that final lead change on a pair of made free throws by Bride Kennedy-Hopo ate at the 4:05 mark. The Lobos then swelled their lead out as large as eight points with 1:17 left in the third and carried a five-point lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Early in the fourth quarter, Boise State battled back and reclaimed the lead, 68-67, at the 7:33 mark. After neither team scored for about two minutes of game time, McGruder gave the Lobos the lead back with a layup at the 5:27 mark. The Lobos then grew that lead out as large as seven points with 3:27 left in regulation, but a 7-0 run over the next two minutes by the Broncos evened the score at 75-all.
 
A De La Cerda mid-range jumper gave the Lobos a two-point lead with 32 seconds to play in the fourth, but an offensive rebound and put-back by Boise’s Mallory McGwire tied the game at 77-all with 17 seconds on the clock. Able to hold for the final shot, the Lobos drew a play for Everett, but her contested layup did not fall sending the game into overtime.
 
In the extra period the Lobos jumped out to an early advantage with a five-point lead at the 1:57 mark of overtime. To that point, Boise had not scored in OT but a three-pointer by Riley Lupfer with just under a minute to go broke that skid and pulled the Broncos within two points, 82-80.
 
Following a missed shot by the Lobos with 29 seconds left, the Broncos took the lead with 11 seconds showing on the clock on a three-pointer by McGwire.
 
The Lobos quickly got the ball up the court looking for the go-ahead basket, but Everett’s shot was no-good. Despite the miss, the Lobos had one final chance as the Broncos turned the ball over trying to inbound the ball with one second left. That last-ditch effort would not come through either as a blocked shot by Boise secured the win for the Broncos.
 
The Lobos had four players score in double figures and were led by Jaedyn De La Cerda with 19 points. Jayla Everett was next with 16 points while Shaiquel McGruder and Jordan Hosey rounded out double-figure scoring with 12 points each.
 
After playing five-straight road games, the Lobos are set to return home this coming Saturday and play host to Wyoming. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit. That game is also “Pack the Pit” and all bench seat tickets are $5.