Strong Third Quarter Propels Lobos Past Texans

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— A 13-3 run to close the first quarter and a 20-5 scoring margin in the third quarter in favor of the Lobos propelled UNM to 3-0 on the season following a 64-55 victory over Tarleton State on Sunday afternoon.

It marks the fourth time in the last five years that the Lobos have started the season 3-0.

For the second time this season, three Lobos finished in double figures, with Paula Reus and Nyah Wilson tying for the team- and game-high at 16 points and Viané Cumber contributing 12 points with three, three-pointers. For Wilson and Cumber, it was the second time this season scoring double digits, while the first for Reus, who went 7-12 from the floor with two three-pointers and added seven rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist.

In addition, Wilson tallied a team- and career-high nine rebounds and also went a career-best 8-for-9 at the free-throw line, and for Cumber it was the third game this season making three or more three-pointers.

The Lobos scored on their opening possession as Wilson drove to the basket and found Charlotte Kohl down low as two Texans collapsed on her for the open layup. A Reus layup made it 4-0 and started the scoring for the junior, who had six early points on three consecutive baskets.

After the Texans tied the game at eight with 4:32 left in the first, Cumber went on a personal 8-0 run behind consecutive three-pointers and a transition layup to reclaim the lead for UNM. The 8-0 run turned into what amounted to a 13-3 run over the final 4:19 of the quarter for the 22-11 lead, with the Lobos scoring the final five points.

Hannah Robbins contributed early in the second quarter, scoring on a reverse layup off of an offensive board, and assisted on the next Lobo basket to allow the Lobos to maintain their double-digit lead. A fast-break layup by Robbins off of a Kohl steal stretched the lead to 13 at 29-16 before the Texans closed the margin to five at 29-24 at the 2:19 mark. However, two Wilson layups provided some cushion heading into the half with the Lobos ahead 33-28.

Robbins finished with four points, four rebounds and an assist in the second, going 2-2 from the floor.

The third quarter was a slower start with both teams struggling to get back into rhythm until Cumber hit a three at 7:39 to open the scoring, which seemed to kickstart the Lobos as a steal and fast-break layup followed by a three-pointer by Reus led to a 13-point lead at 41-28.

UNM continued to control the third quarter, ultimately going on a 10-1 run through the first 6:05 of the quarter, with a Reus three-pointer extending the lead to 17 at 48-31. UNM scored 10-straight points in a span of 1:55 for its best run of the game to build its largest lead of the contest at 53-31, and outscored Tarleton 20-5 in the third quarter, taking a 53-33 lead into the final 10 minutes.

Entering Sunday’s game, the Lobos had been outscored in the third quarter in each of the previous two games and by a combined 35-27 score, and are now outscoring opponents in the first, second and third quarters this season. It was also the second time in as many games holding an opponent to single digits and under five points in a quarter, following holding Pepperdine to four points in the first quarter on Thursday.

Reus added eight points in the third quarter on 3-4 shooting and two three-pointers, as well as accounted for four rebounds and two steals, while Wilson went 5-5 at the line en route to finishing with seven points in the quarter.

Tarleton cut the margin to 14 at 59-45 less than four minutes into the fourth quarter, to which Hulda Joaquim hit a midrange jumper off of an Aniyah Augmon steal to stop the surge. Augmon finished with three steals, three rebounds and five assists in the game.

From there, the teams traded baskets as the lead fluctuated between 16 and 14 before the Texans made a 10-2 run down the stretch to cut the lead to eight with 1:26 remaining. One final free throw by Wilson with 31 seconds left provided the final point by either team as the Lobos emerged with a nine-point win.

Joaquim and Robbins were key off the bench as the Lobos faced foul trouble, with Joaquim finishing with six points, six rebounds (tying her career high at UNM) and two assists (her career high at UNM) while going 3-4 from the floor and Robbins finishing with six points, four rebounds and an assist.

The Lobos led for 39:21 of the contest with one tie at eight, outrebounded the Texans 45-35, outscored the Texans 15-9 in fast-break points, and 34-24 in paint points.

Up next: UNM remains at home to host Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.