Clutch free throws down the stretch helped the UNM women’s basketball team keep Colorado State University at bay in a crazy 72-68 win Thursday night at The Pit.
The Lobos (15-10, 6-5) nearly lost all of an 18-point lead in a frantic second half but made enough plays down the stretch to seal the win and get back into the race for second place in the Mountain West Conference. The win puts UNM one game behind the Rams (18-6, 7-4).
Both teams were plagued by bad shooting all night and whichever team was heated up went on a run. Fortunately for the Lobos, their hot streak ran a little longer than the Rams’ did.
The second half was a tale of two segments. With a 32-29 halftime lead, the Lobos began the half with an impressive 18-3 run that put them up by 18 points, and they looked like they had the game in hand. But the Rams had other thoughts, using an 18-7 spurt to cut the lead to 65-63 with two minutes remaining.
However, the Lobos were hitting their free throws, thwarting any comeback the Rams made.
UNM hit eight-of-11 free throws in the final two minutes of the game to turn back the relentless Rams.
With the Lobos clinging to a 69-68 lead, senior Miranda Sanchez stepped up to the line and made one-of-two free throws. On the Rams possession, guard Jasai Ferrucho had an open lane to the basket, but center Jordan Adams stepped into the lane and altered Ferrucho’s shot. Nikki Heckroth grabbed the rebound, was fouled and calmy hit both free throws to finally put the game away.
“I was impressed with our free-throw shooting,” head coach Don Flanagan said. “We shot poorly, but we pulled it out in the end. This win is very big for our confidence.”
The charity stripe was kind to the Lobos, as they hit 26-of-30 free throws. Meanwhile, the Rams connected on 16-of-22 attempts
A very physical game was made sloppy as both teams turned the ball over and kept shooting blanks. The teams combined for 30 turnovers, but UNM, which had 27 turnovers a week against San Diego State University, committed only 13 miscues. The Lobos shot 34.5 percent for the game, including six-of-24 from the 3-point arc, while the Rams shot 35.5 percent from the field.
UNM had a balanced offensive attack as Sanchez scored 19 points to lead the team. Guard Chelsea Grear and Adams chipped in with 12 points and guard Molly McKinnon earned 10. Sanchez and Grear almost had double-doubles, each pulling down nine rebounds.
“This was a very big win,” Sanchez said. “Had we lost it would have thrown off our whole season. This will give us a big boost going into our last games and in the tournament.”
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The Lobos led for much of the first half, but never by more than eight points. The Rams shot only 25 percent in the half but only were down 32-29 because UNM shot only 37 percent.
UNM plays its final home game of the season Saturday against the University of Wyoming at 7 p.m.
