Cumber, Wilson and Augmon Lead Lobos in Season-Opening Win
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— New Mexico junior Viané Cumber took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of her game-high 22 points in the final 10 minutes of Monday’s season opener, as the Lobos emerged with the 76-59 win over Texas Southern.
Fellow juniors Nyah Wilson and Aniyah Augmon were effective early to carry UNM, reaching double figures in the first 20 minutes to finish with a career-high 20 points and 17 points, respectively. Wilson and Augmon were also facilitators, with Augmon leading with a game- and career-high six assists and Wilson finishing with the second most on the team with three.
It marked the first time that UNM had two 20-point scorers in a game since 2022 with the Lobos also improving to 6-0 when opening the season at home and 7-1 in season openers overall under Coach Mike Bradbury.
Of note, Wilson was 4-4 from three-point range with Cumber also making four, as the Lobos finished with nine as a team. For Cumber, it was her 26th career game with multiple three-pointers, her 12th career game making four or more three-pointers and her eighth-straight game with at least one.
After Texas Southern opened the game with a basket, a Cumber layup and Paula Reus steal for an uncontested layup gave UNM the early lead. A Tiger three-pointer put the visitors back on top, however, an Augmon layup on the ensuing Lobo possession restored a lead that continued to build as the quarter went on.
Augmon hit a three-pointer with 2:40 remaining in the opening quarter to start an 8-0 run, stretching the lead from 8-7 to 16-7, with Wilson adding a three-pointer with over a minute remaining to extend the lead to double digits at 19-9. UNM led 19-12 at the end of the first quarter with Augmon scoring eight and Wilson with seven.
The Lobos created further separation in the second quarter behind a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 16 at 30-14, with Charlotte Kohl contributing four points, Augmon reaching double figures on a layup and Wilson adding a three-pointer to reach double figures. Texas Southern closed the margin heading into the break with the Lobos leading 35-24.
Through the first two quarters, UNM had 15 fast-break points to two for TSU, led 26-22 on the boards with Kohl accounting for six, and a 7-3 advantage in steals, led by two from Hannah Robbins.
A 7-0 run over a span of 1:42 in the third quarter pushed the Lobo lead back up to 16 points with the lead holding in double digits for much of the frame. The Tigers got as close as eight on two occasions, the first at the midway mark of the quarter (42-34), to which Cumber responded with a layup, Reus completed an and-one opportunity and was bookended by another Cumber layup to complete the 7-0 run to push the lead back to 15. The second time was as the quarter came to a close with the Lobos holding a 51-43 lead going into the final quarter.
Texas Southern whittled the score down to six points with a jumper to start the fourth, but again, the Lobos found the stabilizer in Cumber, who hit a three on the next possession. When the Tigers answered back to make it a seven-point game, UNM again had a response as Augmon drew contact going up for a layup, finishing through the contact and making the free throw to make it 57-47 and Wilson hit a three-pointer with Augmon assisting for the 13-point lead.
Each time the Tigers made a run, the Lobos looked to their trio of juniors. When Texas Southern got back within eight with 4:45 remaining in the game, Cumber answered with a three-pointer 12 seconds later. When the Tigers got the points right back on a three-pointer of their own, Wilson drove to the basket, drew contact and knocked down both free throws, followed by a layup from Cumber.
And down the stretch, the Lobos pulled away with the juniors leading the way. TSU made its final basket at the 2:54 mark and a Cumber layup on an Augmon assist, a Reus layup off of an offensive rebound and a final Cumber three-pointer closed the evening with a final 7-0 Lobo run for the 17-point win.
UNM outscored TSU 25-16 in the final 10 minutes with Cumber going 5-7 from the floor and 3-4 from three-point range.
Cumber finished with 17 points in the final two quarters with Wilson scoring eight points and Reus adding seven of her nine in the final two quarters.
Up next: the Lobos face Pepperdine on the road Thursday at 7 p.m. MT/ 6 p.m. PT with the game streaming on ESPN+.