Four Finish in Double Figures as Lobos Lead From Start to Finish Against Hampton

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos scored the first 12 points of Sunday’s game against Hampton with the lead reaching 26 midway through the third as UNM led from start to finish in the 68-55 win behind nine players scoring and four reaching double figures.

Sunday’s game was the fourth time this season that the Lobos had four finish in double figures.

Paula Reus and Charlotte Kohl tied for the team high with 14 points, with Aniyah Augmon and Mackenzie Curtis scoring 11 points. It was the eighth time scoring in double figures for Augmon, the fourth consecutive game for Kohl and fifth overall, and the sixth game for Reus.

Augmon notched a near double-double with a team-high nine rebounds, tying her season high, and also recorded four assists and three steals, her seventh game this season with multiple steals. Reus finished with eight boards for the fourth time this season.

Curtis accounted for nearly half of UNM’s 24 bench points, a season high for the Lobo bench. Paris Lauro went a perfect 2-2 from the floor and finished with a season-best five points and Curtis matched her career high in three-pointers with three while going 2-2 from the free-throw line.

As a team, UNM made a season-best 11 three-pointers with six different players making at least one and Augmon tying her career high with three, three-pointers, Curtis making three and Reus making two. In addition, the Lobos had a season-high 20 assists on their 23 made baskets, with Reus leading with five assists to tie her season high and three players (Augmon, Jaelyn Bates and Curtis) credited with four assists. Defensively, the Lobos also recorded nine steals, the third time this season with nine, with Augmon (three), Reus (two), Bates (two), Lauro (one) and Curtis (one) all recording steals.

Reus opened the scoring on a three-pointer as UNM scored the first 12 points of the game, while holding the Lady Pirates scoreless for the first 5:24. The Lobos led 18-2 before Hampton scored five-straight points to make it 18-7 with a Curtis three closing the quarter scoring to make it 21-7 through the first 10 minutes. Five different Lobos scored in the first with three (Reus, Kohl and Lara Langermann) scoring five points.

UNM forced six HU turnovers, turning it into seven points, while holding an opponent to single digits in a quarter for the fourth time this season.

Each team made its first two shots of the second with Lauro scoring both for UNM and an Augmon three-pointer allowed UNM to match its largest lead of 16 at 31-15. The Lady Pirates closed to 12 at 31-19 with 4:21 remaining before a 10-0 Lobo run starting with a Natalia Chavez three-pointer over a span of 2:24 expanded the lead to 22. Each team closed the half with two points as UNM took a 43-21 lead into the break.

Reus scored seven points in the second quarter on 3-4 shooting with the Lobos shooting 52.9% on 9-17 shooting.

At the half, Reus had 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals with Augmon at seven rebounds, six points, Kohl at seven points and two rebounds and Curtis at six points, two assists and a steal. UNM had eight three-pointers in the first 20 minutes and 10 paint points.

Three free throws by Kohl and a Bates three-pointer highlighted a 6-0 run in the third quarter as the lead reached its greatest margin of 26 at 49-23 with 5:20 left in the third quarter, to which Hampton chipped away to get within 16 with 27 seconds to play in the frame. Curtis was fouled as the quarter came to a close, knocking down both to give UNM the 51-33 lead heading into the fourth.

UNM made just one basket in the third quarter, a Bates three pointer, getting five of its points in the quarter from the free-throw line.

The Lobos maintained their double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter with the lead growing back to 18 points on a Lauro free throw with 1:05 remaining in the game and never reaching lower than 13 points.

UNM improves to 8-3 on the season following the win and are off until next Sunday, when the Lobos host Western New Mexico on Dec. 17 at 2 p.m.

POSTGAME NOTES
-Jaelyn Bates finished with a career-high six rebounds
-Mackenzie Curtis was credited with a career-high four assists, one of three Lobos with four assists
-Paula Reus led with five assists, tying her season high
-UNM led for 38:06 with its biggest lead at 26 with 5:20 remaining in the 3rd quarter
-The Lobos made a season-best 11 three-pointers, the second time this season reaching double figures in three-pointers, and was credited with a season-high 20 assists
-The Lobos also recorded nine steals, the third time this season with nine, with Augmon (three), Reus (two), Bates (two), Lauro (one) and Curtis (one) all recording steals