Lobos’ wild Texas comeback not enough
Stephen F. Austin holds on, 71-66
A comeback for the ages? Almost.
The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team scratched, clawed and gave itself a late chance against Stephen F. Austin on Friday night, trimming a 20-point deficit to two in a wild fourth quarter.
In the end, the Lobos could not get over the top. LaTascya Duff missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and the Ladyjacks held on for a 71-66 victory in round one of the Van Chancellor Classic in Katy, Texas.
Jaedyn De La Cerda scored 18 points to lead UNM (4-2), including a pair of key baskets that twice trimmed SFA’s lead to two points in the closing minute. Twins LaTora and LaTascya Duff combined for 32 points — 21 in the fourth quarter — as the Lobos turned an apparent rout into a nail-biter.
“We showed some fight, some character,” Lobos coach Mike Bradbury said in a postgame phone interview. “We were up against what I consider a top-25 team and we fought to the end. That’s something to build on.”
Bradbury was not as pleased with the third quarter. Stephen F. Austin (5-1) led 27-25 at halftime and opened the second half with a 14-0 run that forced Bradbury to call two quick timeouts.
UNM did not get typical performances from starting forwards Shaiquel McGruder and Antonia Anderson, who combined for just seven points. McGruder, who came into the game as UNM’s leading scorer, picked up three first-half fouls, one of them a technical, and ended up scoring two points in eight minutes.
The Ladyjacks did much of their damage inside, getting 26 points from post Aiyana Johnson and 13 more from forward Avery Brittingham. Stephen F. Austin took its largest lead, 59-39, on a Johnson layup with 8:23 remaining.
De La Cerda followed with a 3-pointer, and the Duffs quickly turned the game’s momentum by scoring the next 11 points. A three-point play by Brittingham gave SFA a 68-63 lead with 29 seconds left, but De La Cerda hit another 3 to make it 68-66. Brianna Mitchell hit one of two foul shots, giving UNM a chance to tie, but LaTascya Duff’s 3 missed the mark.