STAYING IN VEGAS
Lobo women roll San Jose State to advance in MWC tourney
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Mission one accomplished for the UNM women’s basketball team.
The sixth-seeded Lobos got exactly what they wanted in Monday’s first-round Mountain West tournament matchup against No. 11 San Jose State. UNM started fast, led wire to wire and was able to rest its starters in the fourth quarter of an 84-54 victory at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center.
“We couldn’t have scripted that one any better,” Lobo coach Mike Bradbury said in a postgame phone interview. “We played really really hard in the first half and controlled that game straight from the tip. The best news is now we get to play again.”
The victory earned the Lobos a spot in tonight’s 9:30 p.m. quarterfinal against third-seeded Wyoming. The Cowgirls swept the season series, winning 66-55 in Laramie and 63-62 at Dream-style Arena.
UNM will have to win four games in five days to capture a tournament title and an automatic NCAA berth. Monday’s outing amounted to a good start.
Jaisa Nunn scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Tesha Buck added 18 points and Cherise Beynon racked up 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lobos (23-9). The three All-Mountain West honorees led the way
as New Mexico raced to a 12-2 lead and never really looked back.
UNM’s offense ran hot and cold at various times but its defense was rock-solid against the up-tempo Spartans (7-23). San Jose State shot just 26.8 percent from the field and never got closer than a 21-point deficit in the second half.
“We really locked them down defensively,” Bradbury said, “and at times we dominated the boards. That’s what we did against them (in a 92-62 win) in Albuquerque and didn’t do (in a 95-87 loss) in San Jose.
Myzhanique Ladd scored 19 points to lead the Spartans, but none of her teammates managed more than six points. Shiprock native Analyss Benally, who hit 8 of 10 3-point tries in two regular-season games against UNM, went 1-for-4 and scored just three points.
Nunn got the Lobos off to a fast start, scoring 11 points in the game’s first 12 minutes. Buck then drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give UNM a 31-16 lead that ballooned to 47-26 by halftime.
Both offenses sputtered in the third quarter but New Mexico continued to lead comfortably, 58-34. Bradbury was able to pull his starters with more than five minutes remaining.
Laneah Bryan had a big night for the Lobos with seven points, a career-best 10 rebounds and three assists. Reserves Antonia Anderson (six points, three rebounds, three blocks) and Jaedyn De La Cerda (five points) also chipped in for the winners.