Lobos lose in first round of WNIT

Injuries may cause UNM to skip consolation game

Playing in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, the Lobos were beaten 90-85 by the only remaining undefeated team in the country, California Baptist.

The Lobos fall into the tournament’s consolation bracket with a game against Houston on Saturday. If and when that game gets played is apparently not clear. In a postgame radio interview, Lobos coach Mike Bradbury said there’s some doubt about whether either team will be willing to play because of injuries.

“We’ll see about [Saturday],” Bradbury said. “We’ve got at least two kids out, maybe a third a third now. I know Houston lost two starters [Friday], too, so we’re just going to have to discuss some of this, you know, to see about that. I don’t want to say something because I don’t know anything, but as of right now, I guess the game’s a go, but I would say it’s up in the air a little bit.”

The Lobos lost low-post players Antonia Anderson and Shaiquel McGruder early in Friday’s game. Anderson logged just six minutes before exiting with a leg injury while McGruder was in for 15 minutes before heading to the bench.

The pair combined for 14 points and half a dozen rebounds, but their absence was felt primarily at the defensive end where UNM was left vulnerable against Cal Baptist’s Britney Thomas and Caitlyn Harper. With no one to check them in the paint, the pair dominated the second half and finished with 47 points and 19 rebounds between them.

“We scored enough points,” Bradbury said. “Without those two [Anderson and McGruder], we just couldn’t guard them.”

The Lancers (25-0) spotted the Lobos an 8-0 lead and trailed 11-2 before getting hot. They rallied to briefly tie the game with three minutes left in the first half. They slowly took control in the second half, taking the lead for good with five minutes left in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Harper.

UNM cut the score to a single point twice in the waning moments but never regained the lead.

Left up to the Lobos’ guards to carry the offense, Jaedyn De La Cerda and

LaTascya Duff did what they could. De La Cerda dropped in 28 points with seven rebounds and six assists. Duff had 20 points and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

The Lobos were, however, no match for Cal Baptist on the boards. The Lancers held an 11-rebound advantage. Cal Baptist guard Ane Olaeta dished out 14 assists, many of which were simple dumps into the post against UNM’s smaller defense.

Bradbury said with no size to stop the bleeding in the paint, it was just a matter of time before the Lancers took over.

“Once that went away, you know, we couldn’t make them uncomfortable,” he said.

Cal Baptist shot 54 percent from the field. Harper and Thomas were a combined 20-for-26 from the floor in an otherwise one-sided advantage.

If the Lobos don’t play in Saturday’s consolation game, they will close the season with a 15-5 record that came with losses in each of their final two games.