Following a ten day break New Mexico turned around and gutted out a 51-47 road win at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
The Lobos had ample amount of time to think about their 52-47 second half collapse against New Mexico State on Dec. 20. However, head coach Yvonne Sanchez said she liked the way her team responded to the loss.
“I am proud of this team,” said head coach Yvonne Sanchez in a statement. “It is not easy winning on the road. I don’t care what the records are. We are lucky and fortunate to get out of here with a win.”
Leading up to Wednesday night’s affairs, Sanchez said conference play is a whole new slate and brings out tough competition from both ends. Nevada (1-11, 0-1 MW) was a team forced to overcome a four-starter turnover with Mimi Mungedi graduating and losing three starters to season-ending knee injuries.
It was the play on UNM’s guards that fueled the nail-biter over Nevada as sophomore Cherise Beynon and fellow senior guard Bryce Owens accounted for more than half of the team’s points. Beynon walked away with the team high 14 points and Owens was not far behind with 13 of her own.
Beynon and Owens were the only players to score in double digits during UNM’s road win. The combined 11-20 shooting for 27 points is coming just one game after when the two guards combined for an abysmal 4-24 from the field and totaling just nine points against the Aggies.
Scoring was not the only part of the night that warranted applause from UNM’s guard play. Sophomore Laneah Bryan tallied a career high seven dishes in accordance with scoring five points.
“I can’t be more proud of Cherise, Bryce, and Laneah, and how they played,” Sanchez said in the release.
Despite beginning the second half on a 6-0 run, the Lobos’ second half was not as strong as the first. After heading into intermission with a 23-17 advantage, UNM (8-4, 1-0 MW) was outscored 20-18 in the second half, keeping the game tight until the final whistle.
“They played hard and I knew they would. It’s not a surprise,” Sanchez said. “You can’t panic, you can’t get nervous, and you just have to go out there and play. I’m really proud of what our kids did.”
New Mexico (8-4, 1-0 MW) will return to action at home on Saturday at 2 p.m. to take on Fresno State (5-7, 1-0 MW). The Bulldogs are coming off of a 58-54 victory at home against UNLV.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball, and beach volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
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