UNM Fights to Finish in WNIT Loss to CBU
FORT WORTH, Texas – Like they have all season, when The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team faced adversity, the Lobos kept on fighting.
Down two starters for most of the first round of the WNIT Fort Worth region on Friday night, the Lobos didn’t lose their resolve, competing to the last second in the 90-85 loss to California Baptist.
Senior and New Mexico native Jaedyn De La Cerda played a large part in that effort, scoring a game-high 28 points with 14 coming in the fourth quarter, and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as she tried to keep the Lobos within reach of the Lancers late.
Junior LaTascya Duff stepped up with 20 points, with 10 occurring in the second quarter, and Autumn Watts stepped up off of the bench in Antonia Anderson’s absence with a career-high five steals, accounting for more steals single-handedly than the Lancers had as a team (four). UNM finished with 13 as a team to tie the season high, forcing 17 total turnovers in the game.
The Lobos got out to a fast start, scoring the first eight points of the contest on a De La Cerda jumper, a De La Cerda layup off of an Anderson steal, a jumper in the paint by Shaiquel McGruder and a McGruder layup.
An Anderson three pushed the lead to nine at 11-2 with 7:25 remaining in the quarter, and while CBU closed the margin to four, the Lobos answered to regain the nine-point advantage at 16-7 on an Anderson layup. Anderson left the game at the media timeout with 4:20 left in the first quarter and would not return for the remainder of the contest, finishing with five points, two steals and two rebounds in 5:40 minutes on the court.
UNM held a five-point lead of 21-16 through the first 10 minutes, with De La Cerda and McGruder leading the way with seven points each. The Lobos created six steals in the first quarter alone, with Anderson, De La Cerda, McGruder and Watts each contributing.
In the second quarter, the Lancers cut the lead down to two at 23-21, but the Lobos were able to keep their lead on a Duff and-1, converting at the free-throw line for the 26-21 lead. CBU twice got the score back to within one, ultimately tying the game at 33, before the Lobos went on a 7-0 run on an Ahlise Hurst three, and subsequent Hurst steal and fast-break layup on the next possession and two Duff free throws.
A Duff three made it 43-35 with 1:21 left in the quarter, and the Lobos took a 43-38 lead into the break.
Duff led all scorers in the second quarter with 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting from the floor and three free throws, and led all scorers at the half with 10 points.
In addition, UNM led the entire first 20 minutes, leading by as many as nine points.
De La Cerda opened the third quarter with a jumper in the paint 51 seconds into the frame, and after CBU cut it to three Hurst hit a three to create some cushion, but the Lancers made another run to make it a one-point game at 48-47 at the media timeout.
California Baptist took its first lead of the game at 53-52 a little more than midway through the quarter, prompting the gutsy return of McGruder, who exited with 6:13 left in the second with an ankle injury.
The lead changed sides seven times between the 4:56 mark and the 2:46 mark of the third before CBU took a four-point lead at 63-59 with 2:05 left in the quarter. UNM got the deficit down to one on a Corina Carter free throw, with the final margin being three at 68-65 in favor of the Lancers through three.
Duff scored eight points in the third to lead the Lobos with De La Cerda scoring six points. Without Anderson and McGruder’s paint presence, the top two Lobo rebounders, CBU was able to score 20 of its 30 points in the quarter in the paint.
Down to the final 10 minutes of the game, the Lobos fought back from a five-point deficit to tie the game at 73 on a De La Cerda three and Azaria Robinson layup in the paint off of an inbounds play. The Lobos were able to create another tie at 75 on two Duff free throws, but the Lancers regained the lead on a three on the next possession.
Each of the next three times CBU went ahead by three, De La Cerda answered on the other end with a layup to keep the Lobos within one possession. UNM got as close as 82-81 with 2:47 remaining before CBU pulled away down the stretch.
A final De La Cerda layup off an offensive rebound came with seven seconds remaining to make it 90-85, and a forced turnover on the Lancers gave the ball back to UNM with six seconds remaining, but the Lobos couldn’t inch any closer in the five-point loss.
De La Cerda closed the game going 6-of-11 from the floor with two made threes.