Lobos Win MW Regular Season Title Following 71-62 Win over Rams
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— For the first time in 16 years, The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team are the Mountain West regular season champions.
While the Lobos won the 2003-04 and 2004-05 regular season championships, this is the first time that UNM has earned the championship outright as the other two were shared with former MW team Utah. In both those years, the Lobos finished 12-2 in conference.
To achieve the feat, it took an 11-3 conference record with 13 road games and two games that served as a neutral contest in Canyon, Texas and two must-have games against the top team in the conference standings entering the series in Colorado State.
And when the Rams opened the fourth on a 14-4 run to tie the game at 58-all with 5:37 left in the game, it took a 13-4 run in the final 4:53 for the 71-62 victory.
Ahlise Hurst made five three-pointers on the night, finishing with a game-high 21 points as well as a team-high four assists, while Shaiquel McGruder brought down a season- and game-high 15 rebounds and created a team-high two steals in Friday’s game to lead the Lobos in the categories.
Antonia Anderson again was productive on both ends of the floor, collecting nine rebounds and finishing with 13 points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. Corina Carter came off the bench to record 11 points, hitting both of her three-point attempts and was 3-for-5 from the floor.
The Lobos got out to an early 10-5 lead in the game with Hurst hitting back-to-back threes before CSU managed to tie the game at 13 and took the slim 19-17 lead at the end of the quarter.
A Hurst three on a fast-break opportunity 53 seconds into the second quarter regained the lead for the Lobos at 22-21, which was followed by an exchange of leads over the next four possessions before a Carter three made it 27-26. While there were ties, the Lobos never trailed for the remainder of the game, leading by six at the break.
UNM’s lead grew to as large as 14 at 48-34 with 7:59 showing on the clock in the third quarter, but the Rams chipped away into the lead to make it a 10-point game at the end of the quarter to set up their run in the fourth.
After a closely contested first quarter in which the Rams held a lead at the end of the frame, the Lobos outscored CSU 21-13 in the second and followed that up with a 16-12 scoring margin in the third to take a 54-44 lead into the fourth.
The Rams stormed back to tie the game at 58, the first tie since it was 17-all, but the Lobos retook the lead on a pair of Hurst free throws. CSU tied the game at 60 on the next possession in what would be the last tie of the game as UNM went on to score the next six points on a LaTora Duff jump shot, a Hurst fast-break jump shot and an Anderson jump shot in the paint.
Colorado State scored one more basket before the Lobos closed the game with McGruder, Carter and Anderson each splitting a pair of free throws, and two final free throws from LaTascya Duff.
With the win, the Lobos not only earned the title, but are the first seed in the MW Tournament and will face the winner of Air Force – San Diego State on Monday at noon PT/ 1 p.m. MT.