Lobos Make 16 Three-Pointers at Fresno State to Improve Win Streak to Six
FRESNO, Calif.—LaTascya and LaTora Duff combined for 13 three-pointers, with LaTascya tying her career high with eight, and 46 points as the Lobos won their sixth-straight game, 88-68, over Fresno State Tuesday.
Four Lobos finished in double figures, with Shaiquel McGruder (12 points) and Viané Cumber (14 points) joining both Duffs.
As a team, the Lobos made 16 three-pointers, the second-straight game that UNM finished with 16. However, the Lobos shot a season-best 64.0% from three-point range, going 16-25. Of note, the 64.0% is the third-highest three-point field-goal percentage in a game in program history, with the last time the Lobos shot 60 percent or better from behind the arc back on Dec. 2, 2017 against New Mexico State (15-22).
LaTascya was on from the onset, opening the scoring with a three-pointer and hit her second three-pointer while fouled in the act of shooting to give the Lobos a 9-7 lead midway through the first quarter. However, after a LaTora three put UNM in front 12-11, the Bulldogs went on a 14-2 run to take a 25-14 lead with 1:32 remaining in the quarter, and led 28-16 at the end of the frame.
Trailing 32-20 in the second quarter, the Lobos began to hit from behind the arc, with LaTora (twice), Paula Reus and LaTascya making four-straight three-pointers to even the score at 32. The Duffs continued their scoring with a layup by LaTora that gave UNM the 34-32 lead and another LaTascya three-pointer that pushed the Lobo run to 17-0. A LaTascya layup and three-pointer with 37 remaining in the quarter closed the Lobo scoring with UNM leading 44-39 at the break.
UNM outscored Fresno State 28-11 in the second quarter, shooting 66.7% (10-15) and were 7-7 from three-point range with LaTora and LaTascya each 3-3. LaTascya went 5-5 in the first 20 minutes from behind the arc with LaTora 4-5, combining for 32 points.
Cumber took over at the beginning of the third quarter, scoring UNM’s first nine points to reach double figures, giving the Lobos a 53-45 lead with 4:37 to play in the third. An Aniyah Augmon layup and LaTascya three-pointer stretched the lead to 11 before back-to-back baskets by McGruder and another LaTascya three-pointer with two seconds remaining closed the scoring with UNM up 65-53.
The Lobos outscored the Bulldogs 21-14 in the third with Cumber accounting for nine points and LaTascya for six after going 2-3 from three.
A McGruder layup to start the fourth pushed the lead to 14 and the lead never fell below double digits, with the lead growing to 20 following a late 10-2 run behind another LaTora three-pointer, consecutive Amaya Brown layups and a final Cumber three for the final points of the contest.
Brown and McGruder each scored six points in the fourth as UNM again outscored Fresno State 23-15, shooting 61.5% and with three more three-pointers.
With the win, UNM moves to 20-11 on the season and 12-6 in the Mountain West, and will be the No. 4 seed at the Mountain West tournament next week by virtue of a tiebreaker with Colorado State and San Diego State. New Mexico opens against No. 5 San Diego State at 2:30 p.m. PT on Monday.