It took the Lobos 30 minutes to get any sort of offensive production against Fresno State on Saturday afternoon.
The slow start plagued New Mexico, who dropped the contest 51-43 in Fresno, California, despite a fourth quarter offensive surge.
The offense was led by forward Khadijah Shumpert, who put together a sound 22 point and nine rebound showing in the loss.
Through the first three quarters, UNM was only able to muster 19 points before putting up 24 in the last 10 minutes of the game.
New Mexico ended up shooting over 31 percent in the game, not much worse than Fresno State’s 32.7 percentage from the field.
The Bulldogs also turned the ball over more than the Lobos by a 20-19 margin, but the first three quarters, where UNM trailed 38-19, were just too much to overcome.
One of the problem areas for the Lobos was at the charity stripe. New Mexico had 12 opportunities at the line in the contest, sinking only five of those shots. Fresno State shot 16-21 from the free throw line.
Head coach Yvonne Sanchez has said throughout the season that the women have been working on getting their free throw percentages up, but the foul line proved to be a troublesome spot again for the squad.
Forward Alexa Chavez had a rough night during her 17 minutes of play. After a nagging foot injury limited her playing time, she was unable to make any of her five shots.
She ended her day with just one point and four boards.
Guard Cherise Beynon was able to put together another double-digit scoring night with 12 points, but she shot just 5 for 17 from the field.
The loss leaves the Lobos (14-13, 7-9 MW) in sixth place. If that placement holds, New Mexico will have to play in the first round of the conference tournament.
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Though Sanchez said she would prefer to sit the first round of the conference tournament out with a bye, she said the team is capable of winning four, if need be.
With two games left in conference, it appears that UNM may have to win four straight games come tournament time, barring a UNLV (15-13, 8-9 MW) loss and a pair of New Mexico victories.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He covers volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
