NAPLES, Fla.— The Lobos led for all but 59 seconds of Friday morning’s contest against Chicago State and by as many as 32 in the 80-53 win to open the Florida Gulf Classic.
New Mexico again had a lopsided quarter to garner momentum, outscoring the Cougars 24-5 in the second quarter while holding Chicago State 5:53 without a point to begin the quarter, ultimately turning an eight-point lead through the first quarter into an insurmountable lead behind an 18-0 run.
Cacia Antonio had her best scoring output of the season, finishing with a game-high 17 points that included 4-5 shooting from behind the arc. She was joined in double figures by Drew Jordon (a season-best 16 points and one shy of her career high), 14 points from Destinee Hooks and 11 points from Nayli Padilla.
Defensively, the Lobos generated a season-high 19 steals, led by a career-high four from Padilla, three from Antonio (a season high) and Jordon, Alyssa Hargrove, Tyler Jones and Joana Magalhães with two each and Jessie Joaquim, Clarissa Craig and Hooks with one apiece. Friday marked the fifth game reaching double-digit steals, the sixth game with multiple steals for Hargrove and the fourth for Magalhães and Padilla. Additionally, Emma Najjuma led with a game- and season-high 10 rebounds as the Lobos held the advantage on the boards.
While the Cougars hung around early, scoring the first points of the game and taking a 7-6 lead four minutes in, UNM closed the quarter on a 6-0 run on three-pointers from Hooks and Antonio for the 20-12 lead through the first.
Hooks and Antonio paced the Lobos in the first with eight and seven points, respectively, on combined 5-7 shooting while the Lobos shot 43.8% as a team.
The run continued into the second quarter with a Craig layup and Hargrove basket to extend the lead to 12 less than a minute in, ultimately scoring the first 18 points of the quarter to grow the lead to 38-12. Chicago State’s first points came at the 4:07 mark on a free throw and added two late layups in the final 1:11, with a layup by Jordon and two layups by Antonio closing the scoring for UNM.
Of note, the 24-0 run between the first and second quarter marked the longest run for the Lobos this season, surpassing the 16-0 runs that UNM had against New Mexico State and UT Martin for the longest.
New Mexico outscored the Cougars 24-5 in the second quarter for the 44-17 lead at the break, holding CSU to 12.5% shooting in the second quarter while shooting 52.4%, and held the Cougars to 19.4 % in the half. Antonio (11 points) and Hooks (10 points) reached double figures at the half with Jordon shooting 4-5 from the floor for nine points.
CSU chipped into the lead, using a run to get within 21 points with 3:32 left in the third quarter, but two free throws from Hooks and later an Antonio three-pointer kept the Cougars from getting any closer as UNM held a 22-point lead of 56-34 at the end of the third.
Antonio added six points after going 2-3 from three-point range, with UNM credited with nine steals in the quarter.
The Lobos started the final quarter on a 12-2 run with two three-pointers from Padilla, layups from Jones and Jordon and an offensive rebound and putback by Najjuma to stretch the lead to its largest point of 32 at 68-36 with 7:21 remaining in the game. The 30-point margin held through the four-minute mark when a Cougar jumper closed the gap to 28 with a Laila Abdurraqib three with 2:58 on the clock pushing it back to 30 points at 75-45. CSU used a run to pull within 24 late before Jordon made a layup and three-pointer in the final 1:03 for UNM’s final points.
Jordon scored seven points in the fourth, with Padilla adding six, and added two steals and an assist.
The Lobos close out the Florida Gulf Classic on Saturday against Cincinnati at 1:30 p.m. MT/ 3:30 p.m. ET.