Beynon’s slump, 4-game skid end
Keller’s defense critical in wire-to-wire win vs. SMU
A pair of leaders emerged Saturday for the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team.
Cherise Beynon’s offense and Kianna Keller’s defense loomed equally large as the Lobos took an impressive, wire-to-wire 64-49 victory over SMU at the Pit.
Beynon racked up a career-best 32 points to go with 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals. Her point total tied the fourthbest single-game mark in program history.
Keller scored a modest six points but grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds with two blocks and a steal in 37 minutes. Keller helped neutralize the SMU (5-3) post attack.
Lobos coach Mike Bradbury rode his players hard after a 77-70 loss at New Mexico State on Wednesday extended 3-4 UNM’s losing streak to four games. Bradbury was quick to credit their 40-minute effort Saturday.
“That was clearly the hardest we’ve played,” Bradbury said, “and our kids were unbelievable.
They were locked into the plan, made very, very few mistakes on defense and just really got after it.”
No one enjoyed the win more than
Beynon, who has struggled through some frigid shooting performances this season. Saturday she went 11-for-19 from the field, 5-for-10 from 3-point range, and seemed to come up with key plays every time UNM needed one.
“It was a relief for myself and a relief for our whole team,” Beynon said. “I’ve been working hard on my shooting, but the whole team worked really hard for this one. It’s a relief to play this well and to get a win.”
The Lobos fought through some adversity with Alex Lapeyrolerie (knee soreness) out and leading scorer Richelle van der Keijl in foul trouble. Van der Keijl played just 5 minutes in the second half and did not score after collecting eight points in the 20 minutes.
Keller and Jaisa Nunn picked up the slack, scoring six points apiece in the second half. Keller played the entire half and helped UNM earn a 32-18 advantage on points in the paint.
The Lobos kept SMU off balance with a combination of defensive sets in the first half, including an effective 1-3-1 zone. UNM went primarily man-to-man after halftime, but continued to make things tough for the Mustangs, who shot 27 percent from the field and coughed up 15 turnovers.
“Our defense was great today,” Keller said, “and in reality our defense usually starts our offense. Everyone did a great job helping and working together.”
UNM started the game with a 10-2 run and effectively kept SMU at arm’s length the rest of the way. The Lobos led 21-11 after a quarter, 35-22 at halftime and never led by fewer than eight points in the second half.
Nunn and Mykiel Burleson scored eight points apiece for New Mexico.
However, Beynon “was the best player in the gym today,” said Bradbury, who had steadily warned the Lobos for two days that SMU’s Alicia Froling would be the “best player in the arena.”
Froling led the Mustangs with 12 points but had little room to maneuver. Keller played a primary role.
“She’s our quarterback on defense and we expect a lot of her,” Bradbury said. “When we went to zone and she was in the middle, she had to be the best defender in it. She was.”
Keller said the victory validated some soul-searching by UNM’s players.
“We all came together and just talked about how much we care,” Keller said. “I think it showed today. This win was really important to us.”