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Lobos Lose a Heartbreaker to Aztecs in MW Quarterfinal

by Allison Weiss

LAS VEGAS, Nev.— Monday’s MW quarterfinal played out much like the last three meetings between the Lobos and San Diego State, a game that came down to the final possessions.

For UNM, the script was much like the first game, with UNM leading for 34:18 and SDSU leading for just 47 seconds, unfortunately it was the final 47 seconds as UNM fell 69-68.

All five Lobo starters finished in double figures with Shaiquel McGruder and Viané Cumber scoring 15 points. LaTascya Duff had 14 points with Amaya Brown and LaTora Duff each scoring 10 points. McGruder led on the board with a team-high six rebounds with Brown and Cumber each recording five, as well as in steals with three.

The Lobos got out to an early 9-4 lead by the media break with LaTora accounting for five of the points. UNM’s lead stretched to nine on a LaTora layup with 2:53 remaining, with the final basket between either team occurring at the 1:36 mark as UNM led 15-10 through the first quarter.

After the Aztecs opened the scoring in the second quarter to cut the margin to three, a Cumber jumper and two free throws by LaTascya pushed the lead back to seven at 19-12. The Aztecs chipped away at the lead, getting it down to one at 25-24 with 3:59 remaining in the frame, but two free throws by Cumber kept the Lobos in front. SDSU tied the game at 27 with 3:34 on the clock for the first tie of the game since it was 0-0, but Cumber answered with a three-pointer on the following Lobo possession to put the Lobos back in front.

The Lobos continued to create some separation in what amounted to an 8-0 run with a pair of free throws by Brown and another Cumber three-pointer to give UNM the 35-27 lead.

UNM led 37-31 at the break with Cumber leading all scorers with 10 points and a perfect 3-3 shooting from the floor, 2-2 from three-point range and the free-throw line.

An Aztec three-pointer to open the third quarter split the lead in half, but a Brown offensive board led to a LaTora three-pointer to get the points back.  UNM led 45-39 before SDSU responded to tie the game at 47 with 3:52 left in the quarter, but again the Lobos answered back with a layup by Brown to give UNM back the lead. There was another tie at 49 before a Cumber three-pointer put UNM up 52-49.

The Lobos led 54-53 going into the final quarter after Brown scored a team-high six points in the third on 3-3 shooting.

There were four ties in the final 10 minutes, at 56, 58, 60 and 62, with the Lobos taking the lead back following each tie. An Aniyah Augmon layup and Cumber jumper put the Lobos up 66-62 with 2:25 to play and a McGruder jumper restored the four-point lead at 68-64 with 1:46 on the clock. An Aztec three-pointer made it a one-point game with 1:29 to go and a jumper with 47 seconds remaining gave SDSU its first lead of the game at 69-68.

UNM was unable to score on its next possession but a steal by McGruder gave UNM one more opportunity with 12 seconds remaining. Choosing to let the game play out, the Lobos had a good look at the rim but the shot hit the rim and bounced out as time expired.