Lobos Hold No. 20 Gonzaga to Season Low in Loss
SPOKANE, Wash.— Viané Cumber led the Lobos with 17 points behind five three-pointers and Paula Reus joined her in double figures with 11 points as UNM fell 67-56 to No. 20 Gonzaga on Friday.
The 67 points were the fewest scored by Gonzaga this season, 15 points below its season average, and the Bulldogs’ 30 rebounds were the second-fewest this season. UNM outrebounded GU 35-30 with Cumber and Aniyah Augmon finishing with seven each to tie for the game high. Augmon finished with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Paris Lauro hit three, three-pointers and added a season-high four rebounds, a block and an assist off of the bench.
UNM also had the advantage in steals (3-0), the only time this season with the Bulldogs not recording a steal, with Nyah Wilson credited with two and Reus with one, the second-straight game with two for Wilson and the third time this season. UNM also edged out GU in three-pointers, making 10, the third consecutive game with double-digit made three-pointers.
The Lobos won the tip and scored on their first possession on Reus basket with both teams making their first two shots.
A Gonzaga 6-0 run on consecutive threes put UNM behind 8-4, but the Lobos responded with a 7-0 run to lead 11-8 at the media timeout following a Cumber three. The Lobos held a four-point lead of 14-10 following Cumber’s second three of the contest and again at 16-12 on a Nahawa Diarra Berthe layup before GU closed on a 5-0 run with the Lobos within one at 17-16.
Gonzaga scored the first seven points of the second quarter to build its lead, however, the Lobos again responded with a 7-0 run to get back within a point on a Reus basket and later a free throw following a GU technical foul. After the Bulldogs answered to pull back ahead 29-23, Cumber kept the Lobos within reach, hitting three-pointers on consecutive possessions to bring UNM within three at the break, 32-29.
Cumber had 14 points (on four three-pointers) and five rebounds in the first 20 minutes for her fifth game in double figures this season and her fifth game making three or more three-pointers. In her career, she’s made three or more three-pointers 19 times.
Augmon opened the third with a hook shot to get UNM within one before GU used a 10-0 run to stretch the margin to 11 at 42-31 with 4:38 remaining in the third. A Lauro three-pointer brought UNM within seven with the margin reaching back to double digits at 52-40 through the third.
Lauro went 3-4 from behind the arc and added two rebounds in the third, accounting for all three made threes and nine of UNM’s 11 points in the quarter.
GU stretched the lead to 15 at the start the fourth with the Lobos chipping away on a Reus three-pointer and an Augmon layup that made it 55-45, but again, the Bulldogs answered to push the lead back to 14. A final push by UNM on a Reus three and a Wilson layup cut the deficit to seven at 63-56 with 2:16 remaining before Gonzaga closed with the final four points of the contest for the final score.
UNM closes non-conference with a 9-4 record and begins MW play on Dec. 30 at Nevada.