Lobos Fall in Fresno 71-70
FRESNO, Calif.— The last point of Wednesday’s contest with Fresno State came with 2:41 left on a Shaiquel McGruder layup that made it 71-70 in favor of the Bulldogs, and while the Lobo women’s basketball team had three opportunities late, the Lobos couldn’t get the shot to fall.
Antonia Anderson led the Lobos with 20 points, four blocks and tied for the team high in rebounds with eight, one of four Lobos to finish in double figures. LaTascya Duff finished with 14 points and a game-high three steals, McGruder had 14 points and tied Anderson with eight rebounds and LaTora Duff finished with 10 points and a game-high seven assists.
After trailing 25-14 through the first quarter, the Lobos found their rhythm and rattled off 12 straight points to bring the game within one at 34-33 Fresno State. The Bulldogs hit a three to end the run, but the Lobos closed with the final five points in the final 1:08 to take a 38-37 lead into the break, capped by a three from De La Cerda with four seconds remaining. De La Cerda’s three gave UNM its first lead of the game and in total, the Lobos closed with a 17-3 run in the final 6:24 of the quarter while holding Fresno State the final 3:09 without a point.
Anderson led the way with 18 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the first 20 minutes.
An Anderson layup out of the break continued the run to 7-0 between the second and third quarter and a LaTascya free throw extended the lead to four. The Bulldogs responded to tie the game at 41, to which De La Cerda broke it with a three-pointer off of a LaTascya steal. The two teams traded points to create ties at 44, 46, 50, 52 and 54 before the quarter came to a close with a 56-56 score. There were seven ties and four lead changes in the third quarter alone, with 10 lead changes and 12 ties in the game.
A Paula Reus layup gave UNM a 60-59 lead early on in the fourth, however, the Bulldogs went on a run to take a five-point lead at 65-60 with 5:36 remaining. The Lobos battled to tie the game at 66 with a LaTora three and three LaTascya free throws, and Anderson gave UNM a 68-66 lead on a layup with 3:30 to play. UNM trailed 71-68 with 2:41 to play with McGruder making a layup on the following possession.
Both teams traded empty possessions down the stretch with the Lobos getting good looks close to the basket, but just couldn’t convert.
The Lobos now stand at 22-8 on the season, 13-4 in the Mountain West, and close the regular season at San José State on Friday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. MT.