The women’s basketball team defeated the Colorado State Rams 62-46 on Saturday, Feb. 10 for a conference battle. Coming into the game, the Lobos had dropped two straight games, losing to UNLV and San Diego State.
Last time these two teams faced off, the Lobos fell short, losing to the Rams 61-55. This time around, the Lobos were able to get their revenge and improve their record to 17-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play. They are in third place in the Mountain West with six games remaining in the regular season.
In the first quarter, both teams started out slow as it seemed neither team could hit a shot. Early on it was obvious that the Lobos’ plan was to attack the basket as they repeatedly pounded the ball inside the paint throughout the game. The Lobos trailed 13-12 at the end of the first quarter.
When the second quarter began, it was as if a switch flipped for the Lobos as they got a huge offensive surge led by junior guard Aniyah Augmon who missed last game due to injury but showed out in her first game back as she shot a very efficient 5-9 from the field in the first half. Augmon finished the first half with 12 points and eight rebounds.
The rest of the team stayed aggressive by attacking the basket. The Rams countered and scored their own flurry of baskets towards the end of the half, keeping the game in reach. The Lobos lead 34-28 going into halftime.
The start of third, the Lobos still had their foot on the gas as they jumped out to a 40-28 lead. The Rams then went on a 14-7 run mainly due to key turnovers by the Lobos along with missed free throws. That run kept the game closer than it could've been with the Lobos leading 47-42 at the end of the third.
The response to the Rams run came immediately in the fourth with Augmon as she dropped 10 points in the half. The rest of the team started to find their stride as junior guard Vianè Cumber and junior forward Paula Reus chimed in, knocking down shot after shot.
Augmon finished the game with a double-double of 16 rebounds and 22 points on 8-14 shooting. Cumber finished the game with 12 points on 5-11 shooting and Reus finished with 13 points on 5-9 shooting. On the defensive end, the Lobos held the Rams to four points in the fourth quarter. That was enough for the Lobos to run away with the win.
The mindset coming into the game for Head Coach Mike Bradbury was just for them to keep doing what they’ve been doing.
“Every game is hard. We lost to UNLV in a close game; we lose to San Diego State. I thought we played as good in those two games as we played today, so our mindset has been what it has been,” Bradbury said.
Augmon had an outstanding performance and, to her, was just playing her role on the team.
“I am the point guard and I do have to take control. With that comes shots I can take, passes I can make and opportunities I can get for my teammates. I feel I did just that today,” Augmon said.
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The Lobos next game is against San Jose State on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at The Pit.
Rodney Prunty is a freelance sports reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Rprunty05
