On Saturday, Feb. 18 the University of New Mexico women's basketball team defeated the San José State Spartans 70-61. The Lobos are on a 3-game winning streak and are now 17-11 overall and 9-6 in conference play.
In a game where they nearly gave up multiple double-digit leads, the Lobos were resilient and found a way to win. They played smart basketball down the stretch and only fouled nine times during the game. They ultimately lost the rebounding battle 43-42, but fought for every ball. The team shot 22-26 from the free-throw line.
The Lobos had four players with double-digit scoring with Vianè Cumber leading the team with 16; she made four 3-pointers. Amaya Brown had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Jada Holland was the only Spartan with double-digit scoring and led the team with 10 points. Jasmine Singleton also had a good game ending with 7 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The game started with LaTascya Duff being fouled on the 3-point line; she made all three free throws. Shaiquel McGruder was fouled on a successful layup, and she made her free throw. LaTora Duff followed it up with another 3-point possession, being fouled on a made shot and making her free throw.
Amhyia Moreland ended the 8-0 Lobo run with a second chance layup, and the Spartans responded with a 10 point run to tie the game 14-14 at the first media timeout with 4:24 left in the first quarter.
LaTora Duff ended the Spartans’ run with a 3-pointer. Aniyah Augmon stole the ball and scored on a fastbreak. The Spartans were able to break through UNM's defense: 12 of their points in the first quarter were in the paint. The Lobos were up 22-20 going into the second quarter.
Spartan Ellie Boni started the quarter with a layup, but Augmon responded with a 3-pointer and a forced turnover on defense. When the Lobos took a lead, they allowed the Spartans to keep the game close with back-to-back turnovers. Cumber went on a 7-0 run by herself making two layups and a 3-pointer. The Lobos were up 34-27 with 4:10 left in the half.
McGruder had an incredible block that led to an empty possession for the Spartans. San José kept the game close, though, as they still found ways to score in the paint. The Lobos were up 43-35 at the end of the first half.
The Lobos were a perfect 12-12 at the free-throw line and won the rebounding battle 23-19. The Spartans continued to drive the lane and scored 18 points in the paint.
Holland started the half with a pair of free throws for San José, but Cumber answered with a 3-pointer. The Spartans erased the Lobo lead with a 9-0 run consisting of three layups and a Sabrina Ma 3-pointer. The game was tied 46-46 with 4:48 left in the third quarter.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
LaTora Duff ended the 11-0 run with a layup which was followed with Augmon passing to McGruder for an easy basket. Ma made her second 3-pointer to temporarily take the lead, but McGruder ended the quarter with a pair of free throws to put the Lobos up 52-51.
Both teams struggled to score at the start of the fourth quarter, but Cumber made a 3-pointer and Brown was fouled where she made one of her free throws. The Lobos were up 56-51 with 6:32 left in the game.
Out of the media timeout, Spartan Nailea Nicholas scored a layup, but Brown stole the ball for a layup to protect the Lobo lead. Paula Reus passed to McGruder for an easy layup, but the Spartans weren't done yet with Moreland cutting to the basket for a layup.
LaTora Duff was fouled when the Lobos inbounded the ball and made both free throws to put the Lobos up 65-57 with 54 seconds in the game. Brown was fouled after she stole the ball and made both free throws to seal the game. The Lobos won 70-61.
After the game, head coach Mike Bradbury gave credit to the Spartans and talked about the team's fourth quarter performance.
"(I got to) give San José credit: they played really, really hard and they're well-coached. They really get after you. They compete at a high level. I'm proud of our team for finding a way to win when we couldn't make a shot … I thought defensively in the fourth quarter we were good — we were able to get rebounds we missed, and we got enough stops,” Bradbury said. “We made just enough shots but mainly, we got to the free-throw line.”
After the game, Brown talked about the importance of maintaining intensity in the game.
"It was very important we knew that they were going to play hard, so we just knew we would have a full game and play all four quarters … That's what we all did today due to the importance of the game," Brown said.
The Lobos have one home game left this season on Saturday, Feb. 25 against Utah State. It will be Senior Night at The Pit.
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
