Lobo Defense Delivers Late in Win at Wyoming
LARAMIE, Wyo.— Two free throws by Charlotte Kohl put UNM up by three at 59-56 with 18 seconds remaining and in a game that had seven lead changes that included three in the final quarter, a last-second defensive stop allowed the Lobos to leave Laramie with a 59-58 win.
Three Lobos finished in double figures, led by 11 from Nyah Wilson and Paula Reus with Aniyah Augmon finishing with 10 points, while Lara Langermann and Reus made three three-pointers as UNM made 11 from behind the arc to tie a season high. Augmon and Wilson have now scored in double figures in 14 conference games, and Reus in seven conference games.
Viané Cumber and Hulda Joaquim tied for the game high with seven rebounds as the Lobos outrebounded the Cowgirls 35-26.
Wyoming scored the first six points of the game, but a Wilson layup followed by an Augmon three kept the Lobos within reach, with the margin six at 12-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lobos got it going in the second quarter, gathering momentum as they made their first six shots – four of them three-pointers- and started the quarter on a 10-0 run, outscoring Wyoming 16-4 in the first 3:19 to take a 22-16 lead.
UNM continued to assert itself in the quarter, using what amounted to a 7-0 run to lead 26-16 while also holding the Cowgirls without a field goal in the final 6:59 to take a 26-18 lead into the half. The Lobos ultimately held the Cowgirls to six points in the second quarter on 16.7% shooting, outscoring them 20-6 in the second. In comparison, the Lobos shot 53.8% in the quarter, led by two three-pointers from Reus which included a three that gave UNM a 13-12 lead for its first lead of the game.
Wyoming had an answer out of the half, scoring the first five points of third quarter to cut the lead to three and later took a 40-38 lead behind 9-0 run. A Langermann three ended the run and put UNM up 41-40, however, the Cowgirls closed with the final five points of the quarter to take a 45-41 lead into the fourth. Wyoming closed on a 14-3 run over the final five minutes of the quarter to regain the lead, shooting 80.0% on 12-15 shooting in the quarter.
After each team traded three-pointers to start the fourth, a Reus three-pointer followed by a Langermann three-pointer with 6:56 on the clock put UNM back in front at 50-48, to which Wyoming answered with a three of its own 19 seconds later to reclaim the lead. Consecutive Cowgirl baskets created a four-point deficit for the Lobos at 54-50 with 4:32 to play, but a 7-0 run behind a Cumber three, a Reus hook shot and a Wilson layup provided the final lead change.
Wyoming made a layup with 59 seconds remaining to make it a one-point game and following three fouls from the Cowgirls to put the Lobos in the bonus, Kohl delivered with two free throws to extend the margin to three. The Cowgirls elected to get a quick layup to again make it a one-point game, and with possession, forced a held ball to get the ball back with 13 seconds left. Out of a Cowgirl timeout, Wyoming attempted a corner three with two seconds remaining for the win, but missed with Augmon securing the rebound as time expired.
UNM outscored Wyoming 18-13 in the final quarter, going 6-10 from the floor, 4-5 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free-throw line.
With the win, the Lobos improve to 19-9 on the season, 10-5 in the Mountain West, the fourth consecutive year with 10 conference wins and the seventh time in Coach Mike Bradbury’s eight years. In addition, the Lobos improve their win streak against the Cowgirls to three straight and have won in Laramie in four of the last five games.
Of note, the Lobos are now 15-0 when leading at the half, 11-1 when shooting 40.0% or better (the Lobos shot 41.2%), 12-1 when finishing with a higher three-point percentage (44.0% to 26.3%), 13-2 when allowing fewer than 60 points and 5-1 in games decided by 1-4 points.
UNM returns to The Pit for its final two home games next week, hosting San Diego State on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Nevada on Saturday at 2 p.m.