The New Mexico women's basketball team won in blowout fashion over New Mexico State Tuesday night, where the Lobos exploded offensively for an 84-55 victory at WisePies Arena.
Guard Alex Lapeyrolerie proved once again to be a formidable threat off the bench for the Lobos (2-0). In 30 minutes of action, Lapeyrolerie scored a game-high 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting, five of which came from beyond the arc.
She didn’t do a lot of distributing, added just one assist to her offensive performance. Lapeyrolerie said the three-point shot is a big part of her offensive repertoire, but believes she can contribute in a lot of ways.
"That’s kind of where I'm comfortable at,” Lapeyrolerie said of being comfortable in 3-point land. “Sometimes it’s just best to attack it and take it to the hole.”
Cherise Beynon, another guard, put up five points on the night after going scoreless in the season opener. Although Beynon has struggled from the floor going 2-for-22 on the season, she has been brilliant in setting up her teammates.
Beynon tied the Lobos’ single game assist record with 15 on Tuesday, the most since Janice Ruggiero did the same against Adams State on Jan. 23, 1987, a release said.
Richelle van der Keijl used her size advantage against the Aggies (1-1) early and often, with her teammates dumping the ball down low to her whenever they could. She scored 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting — one point shy of her total in the first game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
She didn't just score, though, as she collected a season-high 20 rebounds, five on the offensive glass.
Jaisa Nunn hit her first career 3-pointer as a Lobo midway through the second quarter, her only attempt from long range in the game. Nunn had 15 points on the night, shooting 7-for-11 from the field in 25 minutes of action.
“She’s like 1-for-11,” head coach Mike Bradbury jokingly said of Nunn in the postgame conference. ”She came down the stairs and said she was 100 percent, so I guess she just started counting today.”
Four Lobos scored in double digits, including Jayda Bovero, who had a field day from 3-point land. Bovero went 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-5 from downtown. But she only connected on 50 percent of her free throws, going 2-for-4 from the line.
Both van der Keijl and Kianna Keller used their size advantage to impose their defensive will on the Aggies, blocking a combined seven shots. Keller had four blocks, while van der Keijl registered three. Beynon also chipped in two blocks.
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The first quarter started off quickly for the Lobos with a Mykiel Burleson jumper that put them up 2-0. The Lobos went on a 12-0 run by attacking the basket and playing tenacious defense.
The Aggies didn’t score until a little more than halfway through the first quarter, when a Gia Pack jumper cut the lead to ten.
After another basket by the Aggies, Lapeyrolerie drained a 3-pointer to widen the Lobos’ lead to 15-4, but the Aggies finished the quarter on a 13-0 run to keep the pressure on UNM.
In the second quarter Nunn heated up for the Lobos, and set the tone for the rest of the team. She poured in seven points as the Lobos increased the edge over the Aggies to lead 39-33 at half.
In the third quarter, the Lobos stretched the lead to 17, after van der Keijl had a strong offensive performance in the period with eight points.
The Lobos closed the door on the Aggies in the final frame — allowing just three points in the quarter.
Although the game was mostly one-sided, Lapeyrolerie had a lot of praise for the Aggies and what they brought to Tuesday night’s game.
“It was a good game, so I give them a lot of credit for being a great team and a great program,” she said.
The Lobos will travel to Lubbock, Texas on Sunday to take on Texas Tech. The game will be televised at 1 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
