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Lobos Lose Lead Late in Loss at SDSU

by Allison Weiss

SAN DIEGO, Calif.— The Lobos led for 33:55 of Thursday’s game against San Diego State, but lost the lead late in the 65-61 defeat.

Four Lobos finished in double figures, led by a double-double effort from Shaiquel McGruder on 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. LaTascya Duff made five three-pointers and finished with a team-high 16 points, LaTora Duff scored 11 points to go with a game-high five assists and Paula Reus added 10 points.

UNM was hitting from distance early, getting out to an early 11-4 lead in the first five minutes behind two LaTascya three-pointers and a three-pointer and layup by Reus. The Aztecs closed in at 11-10, but an Aniyah Augmon three-pointer kept the Lobos in front, and after SDSU pulled within one at 14-13, Reus answered with a three-pointer. Following two SDSU free throws that closed the gap to within two with 2:02 left in the quarter, Augmon closed with two layups for the Lobos for the 21-15 score at the end of the first.

A McGruder layup to open the second stretched the lead further, with the margin building to 12 on a McGruder three-pointer that made it 33-21 with 5:54 left in the quarter. The lead shrunk to eight before A LaTora three-pointer with 1:38 on the clock provided the final Lobo points and SDSU scored the final points of the frame with 1:16 left for the 38-29 halftime score.

UNM had balanced scoring in the first two quarters with seven of their 15 makes coming from behind the arc and Reus and McGruder reaching double figures with Augmon at seven and LaTascya at six points.

McGruder nearly tallied a double-double in the first 20 minutes with 10 points and eight rebounds and added the final two boards in the third for the double-double, her fifth of the season.

The lead grew to its largest point of the game at 13 following a LaTascya made three-pointer and was fouled in the process, converting the free throw for the four-point play and the 44-31 Lobo lead. A LaTora three-pointer at the 4:25 mark made it 47-38 before SDSU went on a run to close within one. LaTora split a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining for the 48-46 score through three.

SDSU tied the game 10 seconds into the fourth quarter, however, LaTascya answered on the following possession with a three-pointer to put the Lobos back in front. UNM led 59-52 off of a McGruder three point play, but again, the Aztecs used a run to even the score at 59 with 4:26 remaining. LaTora put the Lobos back in the lead at 61-59 with a layup with 4:02 remaining, but were unable to score in the remaining minutes as SDSU tied the game and took the lead.

The Lobos are now 10-9 on the season and 2-4 in MW and return home to face Boise State on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m.