Lobos Complete Sweep of Wolf Pack to Remain Undefeated

RENO, Nev.— While The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team faced an off first half of shooting from three-point range, the Lobos found a way to adapt and overcome in a 78-67 victory over Nevada to keep their undefeated season intact.

Ahlise Hurst led the Lobos (5-0, 2-0 MW) with a game-high 20 points, including three, three-pointers, with Jaedyn De La Cerda scoring in double figures for the fifth-straight game with 12 points. LaTascya and LaTora Duff also kept alive their five game double-digit scoring streak with matching 10 points, while LaTora led the team with four assists and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds.

Autumn Watts came off the bench to record a game- and career-high nine rebounds, six offensive, and scored seven points with six crucial points occurring in the fourth quarter. Shaiquel McGruder and Hurst each created three steals and McGruder accounted for the lone Lobo block in the game.

The Lobos went unusually cold from distance in the first quarter, going 0-for-5, while in a role reversal Nevada hit three, three-pointers as the two teams kept the score close through the first 10 minutes.

Nevada (4-3, 0-2 MW) opened up with the first basket of the Mountain West contest for its first lead of the series, but the Lobos would tie and take the lead with a De La Cerda jump shot and LaTora layup in what would be indicative of the back-and-forth scoring throughout the game that resulted in 11 ties and nine lead changes.

An Antonia Anderson layup gave UNM a three-point lead at 6-3, which would turn out to be its largest lead in the quarter, before there would be two ties and a Wolf Pack 6-2 run that gave Nevada its largest lead of the quarter at 16-12.

The Lobos closed the first quarter with a LaTascya jumper and free throw, and a Hurst free throw, but trailed Nevada 18-16.

Hurst led UNM with five points in the first quarter with Anderson adding four points as each team made seven field goals.

UNM would regain the lead at 24-23 following two Anderson free throws and a McGruder steal that led to a fast-break layup, but the lead would last all of five seconds. Three free throws, one by Watts and two by Hurst, put the Lobos back in front 27-25, but Nevada would go on to equalize with two free throws. The Lobos would twice hold two-point leads in the final 90 seconds of the second quarter, but the Wolf Pack scored the last three points in the quarter to take a narrow 34-33 lead into the break.

New Mexico again struggled from distance in the second quarter with a repeat 0-for-5 result, but the Lobos were able to create points with fast-break opportunities to keep the game close.

The script flipped in the third quarter as the Lobos found their rhythm from three, which was sparked by Hurst’s 3-for-4 efficiency from behind the arc and 4-for-7 effort from the floor, resulting in 11 points. The first Lobo three fell 1:46 into the third quarter to tie the game at 36, which seemed to fuel the Lobo offense.

Two De La Cerda free throws helped UNM take the lead at 38-37, the final lead change of the contest, and would start a 10-0 Lobo run that ultimately made it 46-37. Hurst and De La Cerda accounted for all 10 Lobo points in that stretch with Hurst hitting two threes.

The Wolf Pack responded to bring the game back within two points at 54-52 and a Corina Carter free throw would bring the quarter to a close with the Lobos holding a one-possession lead.

Nevada twice got within one point early in the final quarter, but the Lobos held true to their faith in the three to create separation with a LaTascya three-pointer that made it 60-56.

Watts would score on back-to-back Lobo possessions off of offensive rebounds, including one possession in which LaTascya would make a three while drawing a foul, miss the free throw and Watts grabbed the rebound and put it back for two. Following the second putback for Watts, UNM used an 8-2 run to build its largest lead of the afternoon at 72-60 with 2:59 remaining.

A LaTora jump shot restored the 12-point lead with 2:13 remaining before there was a lull in scoring, with the next basket coming with 1:21 left that brought the margin back to single digits. However, a LaTora steal and layup, two De La Cerda free throws and a Hurst steal secured the Lobo win down the final stretch.

UNM outscored Nevada 23-15 behind aggressive defense that held Nevada to seven made baskets and resulted in four steals (Hurst accounted for three of them) in the final 10 minutes, and its best offensive quarter with six points from LaTora and Watts. LaTora went a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor, Watts went 3-for-4 and as a team, UNM made 10 of its 14 shots for a 71.4 shooting percentage.

The Lobos outscored Nevada 45-33 in the final two quarters and hit over 50 percent of their shots (56.3 percent) and 44.4 percent from distance.

UNM heads to Utah State (4-4, 2-1 MW) for its next conference series, with the first game scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. MT on the Mountain West Network.

POSTGAME NOTES

• The Lobos now hold a 14-5 series lead over Nevada
• Under head coach Mike Bradbury, the Lobos have swept the Wolf Pack four of five years (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21)
  • In 2017-18, UNM played Nevada just one time

• UNM started the same starters for the fifth time: Antonia Anderson, Jaedyn De La Cerda, LaTora Duff, Ahlise Hurst, Shaiquel McGruder
• De La Cerda, LaTora and LaTascya Duff all continued their streak of scoring in double figures, with all three scoring in double digits in all five games this season.
• Hurst led the Lobos in scoring for the second game this season after finishing with 20 points
  • Hurst also led the team in the season opener at Midwestern State with 18 points
• Autumn Watts finished with a game- and career-high nine rebounds, including six offensive boards
• UNM took the lead for good at 38-37 on De La Cerda free throws and would gain a 10-point advantage on a LaTora Duff layup with 4:06 left in the game (70-60).
• The Lobos held their opponents under 70 points for the fourth time this season
• UNM held Nevada’s top-two scorers, Da’Ja Hamilton and Megan Ormiston, to five and two points, respectively.
• UNM turned 19 Nevada turnovers into 17 points
• The Lobos scored 46 points in the paint