Balanced Scoring Leads Lobos Past Lady Buffs in First Exhibition
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Four Lobos finished in double figures in the first exhibition of the season against West Texas A&M on Saturday, led by a game-high 17 points for LaTascya Duff, as New Mexico won 84-75.
LaTora Duff nearly tallied a double-double with 14 points and a game-high nine assists, while Paula Reus scored 15 points to go with a game-high eight rebounds and Shaiquel McGruder finished with 14 points to go with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Trailing 12-7 midway through the first quarter, the Lobos went on a 14-0 run behind a string of three-pointers, including back-to-back from Viané Cumber and one apiece from LaTascya and Reus. A LaTascya fast-break layup off of a steal with under a minute remaining in the first quarter extended the margin to 10 at 27-17, with the Lobos leading the Lady Buffs 27-19 through the first 10 minutes.
Reus led all scorers with nine points in the opening frame on 4-for-5 shooting, with LaTascya closely behind with seven.
The Lady Buffs opened up the second quarter on a run to tie the game at 27 and took a 29-27 lead, but three free throws by LaTascya allowed UNM to take the lead right back. New Mexico held West Texas A&M scoreless in the final 3:55 of the second quarter while using a quick 7-0 run in a span of 51 seconds to cut a 40-32 deficit to one at the break.
UNM came out firing out of the half, making its first four shots and scoring the first nine points of the quarter to build a 48-40 lead, with the lead reaching its largest point of the game at 13 on an Amaya Brown layup with 6:01 on the clock that made it 57-44. Of note, at that juncture of the quarter, the Lobos had outscored the Lady Buffs 18-4 in the third. The Lady Buffs would cut into the lead, but the Lobos held an eight-point cushion at 62-54 through the third quarter.
Also of note, between the end of the second quarter and the start of the third quarter, the Lobos went on a 16-0 run (7-0 to close the second and 9-0 to start the third).
A Hannah Robbins layup to begin the fourth quarter restored the double-digit gap, with Brooke Berry also scoring on her first shot off of an offensive rebound less than a minute into the final quarter. UNM’s lead teetered between 12 and eight points for the majority of the final 10 minutes, with West Texas A&M getting as close as six at 78-72 with 1:07 remaining. However, the veterans showed their experience with LaTora hitting a jumper with 33 showing on the clock and a LaTora steal on the following possession led to a fast-break McGruder layup to push the margin back to 10 at 82-72. Two final LaTascya free throws closed the scoring for the Lobos, and while the Lady Buffs hit a late three-pointer, the Lobos dribbled out the clock for the victory.
McGruder scored 10 points in the final two quarters, going 4-for-6 with five rebounds and two steals, while LaTora accounted for nine points and six assists in the third and fourth quarters.
The Lobos host Fort Lewis College in their final exhibition on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
POSTGAME NOTES:
-The Lobos led the Lady Buffs in fast-break points (19-6), points off turnovers (22-11) and points in the paint (42-34).
-UNM was 14-of-16 from the free-throw line, led by a perfect 9-for-9 for LaTascya Duff.
-The Lobos finished with nine steals in the game, with Shaiquel McGruder tallying three, LaTascya Duff and LaTora Duff recording two each and Aniyah Augmon and Nia Johnson each having one.
-Between the end of the second quarter and the start of the third quarter, the Lobos went on a 16-0 run (7-0 to close the second and 9-0 to start the third).