Lobos hold off Bulldogs
Brown scores 21 in win to surpass 1,000 points in her career
No one told Antiesha Brown she’d have to earn her Senior Day celebration, but Brown proved to be up to the task.
Brown racked up 21 points, hit a critical 3-pointer to ignite a comeback and swished four free throws in the final 27 seconds to lead the UNM women’s basketball team to a 63-60 victory over Fresno State at the Pit on Saturday.
The Lobos (17-11, 13-4 Mountain West) won their 12th straight home game and prevailed for the 10th time in 11 games overall. They inched to within a half-game of conference-leading Colorado State, which was idle Saturday, and put a little distance between themselves and third-place Fresno State (19- 8, 11-5). With one game to play, the Lobos can finish anywhere from the first to third seed in the league.
The win wouldn’t have happened without Brown, who enjoyed one of the more memorable senior days in program history. She became the 19th Lobo to surpass 1,000 career points early
in the second half.
“I couldn’t think about getting sent off a better way,” said Brown, who addressed the crowd, with fellow senior Maddie Muraida, after the game. “Other seniors we’ve had told me not to try to do too much and screw up Senior Day. I think I just played my role today.”
The Lobos avenged a Mountain West-opening loss at Fresno State and have now defeated every other team in the league this season. But it took some late dramatics to pull Saturday’s game out against the determined Bulldogs.
The Lobos led by as many as eight points in the first half and by seven, 32-25, early in the second. But the home team could not simply put Fresno away as it had previous Mountain West foes at the Pit.
Flustering UNM with trapping full-court defense, FSU put together a 14-2 run midway through the second half. Alex Sheedy and Raven Fox combined for 21 second-half points to help the Bulldogs turn a 39-34 deficit into a 46-41 lead with 8:39 remaining.
The Lobos looked a bit scrambled during the stretch, at one point turning the ball over five times in six possessions prior to a timeout by coach Yvonne Sanchez.
“I really kind of jumped on them,” Sanchez said. “I told them we had to be stronger with the ball; start flashing to the middle, where it was open; and play smart basketball. We really just had to calm down a little bit and get back to our strengths.”
Fresno State led 48-43 when Brown hit arguably the game’s biggest a shot — a 3-pointer that bounced high off the rim and bounded twice more off the iron before dropping in.
“That could have bounced ove r the backboard,” Sanchez said, “but it bounced in. Those are the kind of breaks we’ve had at times this year. I’m not going to call it luck, though, because I think this team has earned it.
fter a missed Fresno shot, Brown grabbed the rebound and went coast to coast for a tying layup. Khadijah Shumpert then converted a three-point play to cap an 8-0 run, and an announced attendance of 6,558 roared its approval.
“It felt great having that crowd behind us even with the weather,” freshman Cherise Beynon said. “When we got down, the fans had our backs.”
Fresno State pulled even at 52 on a Sheedy drive with 2:30 remaining, but again UNM had an answer.
Kianna Keller hit a layup and was fouled after a nice bounce pass from Alexa Chavez to put the Lobos ahead 56-53. Keller missed the free throw but Chavez rebounded it and Brown later scored on a drive to increase the lead to five points.
The Bulldogs didn’t go away, hitting two late 3s to keep the game in doubt. But Brown’s clutch free throws provided the final winning push.
“I think we were a little hyped up,” Sanchez said, “and didn’t play our best basketball. But Fresno State’s a very good basketball team and they deserve credit for that. They took us out of our offense for a while there. Fortunately, we found a way to bounce back.”
Brown ended the game with nine rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal to go with her 21 points. Shumpert had 15 points despite being saddled with foul trouble, and Beynon racked up 12 points, eight boards, three assists and four steals.
Starters carried the load for New Mexico as Keller’s late basket accounted for its only bench points. Sheedy finished with 17 points and seven rebounds to pace Fresno State.