ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos scored the first eight points of Friday night’s contest against New Mexico Highlands and never trailed in the 68-39 win, marking Head Coach Amy Eagan’s first win leading the Lobos.
Ten different Lobos scored, led by a game-high 15 from Laila Abdurraqib and 13 from Keiara Curtis with Gracie Kelsey and Abdurraqib leading the team with seven rebounds apiece.
Defensively, UNM created 14 steals led by Drew Jordon and Katie Duncan at three, and nine Lobos credited with a steal.
Of UNM’s 68 points, 38 came in the paint, nearly matching NMHU’s total points, and scored 25 points off of the Cowgirls’ 19 turnovers.
The Lobos led 15-8 at the end of the first quarter behind 12 paint points, with the lead expanding to 16 at 24-8 before NMHU made its first basket of the quarter 6:08 into the quarter. A layup by Curtis, two Maya Thompson free throws (the first points of her college career) and two free throws by Brynn Eshoo extending the margin to 20 at 30-10 before two final Cowgirl baskets closed the quarter.
UNM outscored NMHU 15-6 in the second quarter, the second quarter of the game holding NMHU below 10 points for the 30-14 halftime lead.
Curtis led the Loos at the break with Kate Wernli and Duncan at five points and Abdurraqib and Kelsey with five rebounds each.
A 9-0 run midway through the third quarter pushed the Lobo lead to 26 at 48-22 with Abdurraqib accounting for five points and baskets by Curtis and Jordon. A Savannah Stricker three-point play gave UNM a 55-26 lead with 1:37 remaining, with the margin holding at the end of the third quarter as UNM led 57-28.
Abdurraqib scored 12 points in the third quarter on 3-5 shooting, including two three-pointers and 4-4 from the line, with Jordon scoring six points in the quarter.
A Thompson free throw and Eshoo jumper within the first minute of the fourth quarter extended the lead to 60-28 with a Duncan three-pointer making it a 6-2 run within the first 2:11. A Curtis three-pointer with 4:50 pushed the lead to its largest point at 34 at 68-34, the last points the Lobos scored. NMHU scored the final five points, with the last coming with 1:39 for the final score.
The Lobos head on the road for their next two games, first against Fresno State on Nov. 11 and at BYU on Nov. 14.