New Mexico’s toughness and solid bench play carried the Lobos to a thrilling 63-60 victory over UNLV at WisePies Arena Wednesday night.
UNM was forced to play with a thin lineup after three starters and a key reserve had early exits, but head coach Yvonne Sanchez said she never experienced an uneasy feeling filling vacant spots with her reserves.
“I just had a boat load of confidence in whoever I put in,” Sanchez said. “It was one of those games I thought our defense just did a nice job.”
The Lobos came down the ramp with a dynamic start, effortlessly getting backdoor layups and sprinting out to an 18-9 lead. However, junior forward Khadijah Shumpert was carried up the ramp with 12:50 remaining even though the Lobo captain was on the bench for that series. Sanchez said Shumpert’s early departure was most likely due to food allergies.
“I think she had an allergic reaction to something she ate,” Sanchez said. “All indications are that she’s doing really well and she’s going to be fine.”
Without Shumpert, the early UNM (8-10, 4-3 Mountain West) advantage was minimalized by UNLV as the Lobos headed into the locker room with just a 35-30 lead.
The second half of the game proved to be just as tight of a battle that UNLV closed the first half with.
The Rebels (6-11, 3-3 MW) were able to hang around long enough to tie the game at 47 with just 8:09 remaining in the contest.
With significant amount of playing time in the second half, both sophomore forward Kianna Keller and senior captain Antiesha Brown had early exits after reaching the five foul limit.
Following Brown’s departure, freshman Laneah Bryan had some big shoes to fill and did so adequately. Bryan finished her night with 10 points and two blocks, both career-highs.
“I was just going with the flow of the game,” Bryan said. “I wasn’t trying to do anything extra. I was just trying to be aggressive.”
In a rugged game that featured 45 fouls, junior forward Alexa Chavez took a late charge that proved to be one of the game’s most important. Chavez was unable to take her free throws after taking the fifth and final charge from the Mountain West’s leading scorer, Danielle Miller.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Chavez was one of three Lobos who needed assistance getting off the court due to an injury or illness. UNM was in the double bonus, but with Chavez unable to take her free throws, freshman Jayda Bovero had to take the place of the ailing forward.
Sanchez said each of players who went down should be ready to go by Saturday.
Junior guard Bryce Owens was the third starter, grimacing in pain for the Lobos. However, Owens would later return to provide pivotal free throws in the game’s final seconds.
UNM was only up by one point in the final 28 seconds of the game. The shot clock was off and Owens sprinted with the ball on her own baseline before being greeted by a UNLV foul.
Owens sunk both free throws to force pressure on the Rebels.
“I have never been on the line for pressure free throws like that, in a close game,” Owens said. “Being able to knock them down was good for me and the team because we got the win.”
Even with an ailing roster, Sanchez and her squad picked up the team’s sixth straight home win and have now bumped up a place in the Mountain West conference.
“It was just a weird game. It was an emotional game,” Sanchez said. “It’s just a gut-check by our kids and I am really proud of them.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
