Gophers turn back UNM’s late charge
Lobos’ defense a plus, but shooting lets them down
Sometimes basketball is a simple game: The team that shoots the ball better wins.
Such was the case Tuesday night at the Pit, where visiting Minnesota shot just well enough to pull out a 69-65 win over the University of New Mexico women.
UNM staged a furious late rally, trimming a 14-point deficit to 68-65 with 24 seconds remaining. But Kenisha Bell hit one of two free throws with 7 seconds left and the Golden Gophers escaped with a narrow victory.
New Mexico hit its final four shots — three of them fastbreak layups — but went 5-for-28 from 3-point range against a packed-in Minnesota zone. The Lobos actually made one more field goal than did Minnesota, but the Gophers hit four more 3-pointers and shot 38.2 percent overall. UNM shot 34.6 percent.
“We didn’t shoot very well from anywhere,” Lobo coach Mike Bradbury said. “What we did do well, as poorly as we shot it, we continued to defend and compete. Because of that we clawed back in it and gave ourselves a chance to steal it at the end.”
Cherise Beynon posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 assists for New Mexico and sparked the late comeback with a steal and three assists. But Beynon missed all nine of her 3-point tries. Alex Lapeyrolerie (1 for 6) and Mykiel Burleson (1 for-7) also struggled from long range.
“We got good shots, especially in the first half,” Beynon said. “I just couldn’t hit open 3s tonight. If we’d made just a few more, we’d have given ourselves a great chance to win.”
Even some point-blank shots refused to fall for UNM (3-5). Richelle van der Keijl scored a game-high 16 points but went 8-for-19 from the floor and missed several bunnies inside.
The chilly shooting spoiled a strong defensive effort by the Lobos, who held Minnesota 12 points below its scoring average. The only time the Gophers (6-3) really heated up was early in the third quarter, and that stretch proved to be
decisive.
The teams traded runs for most of the first half. Jayda Bovero hit one of her three 3-pointers to put UNM up 34-33 late in the second quarter. Minnesota converted a pair of fastbreak baskets to lead 37-34 at intermission.
It was 39-38 early in the third quarter when Minnesota’s Carlie Wagner banked in a 3-pointer to spark a 14-3 run. Wagner, who came in averaging 21.6 points per game, finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds but was heavily defended all night and finished 6-of-19 from the field.
Wagner and Gadiva Hubbard, who had a game-high 18 points, did combine for 12 points during the key third-quarter run that increased Minnesota’s lead to 53-41.
“Their guards hit some big shots to kind of stretch it out on us,” Bradbury said. “We were playing uphill the rest of the way.”
Minnesota took its largest lead, 68-54, on a Hubbard layup with 4:45 remaining, but the Gophers would not hit another field goal. Burleson hit a 3-pointer and the Lobos used trapping defense to fluster the visitors during an 11-0 run that energized the Pit fans.
After Lapeyrolerie’s fastbreak layup made the score 68-65, UNM twice nearly forced turnovers on Minnesota’s final possession. But the Lobos were finally forced to foul and never got the ball back with a chance to tie.
“It was just our commitment to play hard that allowed us to stay in it,” Bradbury said, adding that he was not satisfied with the effort of two Lobos whom he did not identify.
“Most of them played really hard tonight,” he said. “The other two have to get more committed.”