FRESNO, Calif.— Laila Abdurraqib led the Lobos in scoring for the third time this season with a game-high 17 points and had the team high in rebounds for the third time with six rebounds as UNM fell 74-56 in Fresno Wednesday night.
The Indiana native has scored in double figures in all three games this season and is the only Lobos with multiple double-digit games this season. In addition, in all three games, the Lobo guard has had the game high in points.
Abdurraqib was the only Lobo to finish in double figures with the next closest point producer Valerie Norwood in her first game as a Lobo, finishing with nine points. Drew Jordon added eight and Gracie Kelsey added seven points. Kelsey was the next highest rebounder with four rebounds.
Of UNM’s 56 points, 34 came in the paint.
After the Bulldogs won the tip and turned it into a fast-break layup, Kelsey tied the game on UNM’s first possession, which was the only tie of the game. The Bulldogs took an 8-3 lead before Kelsey hit a three from the top of the arc to make it 8-6 at the media timeout. The Lobos had a chance to take the lead out of the timeout with Abdurraqib missing a three-pointer from the wing, with FS making a jumper on the other end to make it a two-possession game.
A Brynn Eshoo jumper in the paint pulled UNM within two at 10-8 with 3:57 to play in the first quarter before the Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run to open the game. A Jordon layup ended the run and were the final points of the quarter as UNM trailed 20-10.
Kelsey accounted for half of UNM’s points in the quarter.
A three-point play less than two minutes into the second stretched the deficit to 13 with the margin growing to 19 with 3:53 left in the quarter before the Lobos chipped away with an 8-2 run to cut it to 12 at 35-23 with 1:07 left.
Abdurraqib closed the quarter with a three-point play for the 11-point margin at the break with UNM trailing 37-26.
Jordon and Abdurraqib led the scoring with five points in the quarter with three each from Kate Wernli and Leonor Peixinho.
The Lobos scored four quick points out of the half with Norwood scoring her first points as a Lobo on a layup and Abdurraqib turning a defensive rebound into a layup to pull the Lobos within seven. However, it was the closest the Lobos were in the remainder of the contest as FS pushed the deficit back to 19 at 52-33 midway through the quarter.
UNM trailed 58-42 at the end of the third with Abdurraqib scoring nine points in the quarter.
The margin reached 21 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter before four consecutive Norwood points off of layups made it 65-49 midway through the quarter. Fresno State pushed the deficit back to 21 with an Abdurraqib free throw and Katie Duncan steal and layup closing the scoring for the final score.
Norwood scored six points in the fourth quarter and nine points in the final 20 minutes. Of Abdurraqib’s points, 12 came in the final 20 minutes.
The Lobos remain on the road at BYU on Saturday night at 7 p.m. MT on ESPN+.