Cold 3-point shooting, turnovers sink women Lobos.

Two numbers from Saturday’s women’s basketball game between visiting New Mexico and host Fresno State at SaveMart Center speak volumes about how things went for the road team: 2 and 19.

The first represents the number of made 3-point attempts by the Lobos. The second represents the number of 3-point tries taken.

The 17 misses were a huge reason UNM faded down the stretch of a 77-70 loss to Fresno State, a defeat that drops the Lobos (20-4 overall, 10-3 Mountain West) two games behind conference leader Boise State with just five games remaining in the regular season.

The uncharacteristic cold shooting from the outside doomed New Mexico as did the turnovers. The Lobos coughed it up 16 times while forcing just nine turnovers, a rare outing in which their tenacious defense didn’t cause the type of disruption that it normally does.

Fresno State (16-8, 9-4) got 18 points from MWC scoring leader Candice White, which included a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:23 left to put the Bulldogs up 71-70. That shot sparked a 9-0 run to close the game, a run that came with three missed shots by the Lobos to go with three fouls and two turnovers.

Center Jaisa Nunn had her usual dominant performance for New Mexico, scoring 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds to go with two blocks and three steals, all team highs. Aisia Robertson had 17 points but was guilty of seven turnovers, including two in the final minute. She was also 0-for-9 from 3-point range.

UNM played almost the entire game without guard Ahlise Hurst. One of the team’s top offensive threats, she twisted her ankle in practice Thursday and was able to play just two minutes. She didn’t score or take a shot.

Antonia Anderson was the only other Lobo in double figures with 10 points.

Fresno State had 11 3-pointers and outscored UNM by 27 points on perimeter shots alone. Five Bulldogs finished in double figures.

With Boise State starting to pull away in the Mountain West standings, UNM must now fend off a crowded field in the race for second. Fresno State is just a game behind while Wyoming is just a half-game off the pace.

UP NEXT

Wednesday: Utah State (11-13, 6-7 MWC) at New Mexico (20-4, 10-3), 7 p.m. in The Pit TV: none Live stream: The Mountain Radio: KNML-AM 610 Live stats: www.GoLobos.com Twitter: @SportsScribe505