Beynon’s 23 points, 8 assists power UNM over Aztecs
Lapeyrolerie KO’d, appears to be OK
The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team sent 2016 out on a remarkably high note Saturday night.
Cherise Beynon put on her second star-quality performance of the week and the Lobos improved to 2-0 in
Mountain
West
Conference play with an 85-42 dismantling of San Diego
State at the
Pit.
Beynon racked up 23 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals before heading to the bench with 6:51 left and the game out of reach. The junior point guard had 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists in UNM’s 80-54 win Thursday at Fresno State.
“The last five, six games she’s been player-of-the-week
quality,” Lobo coach Mike Bradbury said of Beynon. “We’ve said it before, but if we’re going to be any good, Cherise needs to be good and she has been.”
UNM put the New Year’s Eve contest to bed early, leading 31-15 after one quarter and 51-24 at halftime. The Lobos had more points at intermission than they managed in a 51-46 loss to the Aztecs at the Pit last season. It was the first time UNM scored 50 points or more in the first half since 2005.
“We shot it extremely well,” Bradbury said of his team’s 50-percent (31-for-62) outing. “That’s not always the case with this team, but it’s sure nice when it happens.”
Perhaps the only downer to the Lobos’ holiday party came in the second quarter when junior Alex Lapeyrolerie was knocked out cold and had to be taken up the ramp on a stretcher. Video replays showed Lapeyrolerie’s head colliding
with the shoulder of SDSU’s Monique Terry just as UNM’s Jaisa Nunn was scoring a basket.
Lapeyrolerie was motionless on the court for several minutes after the inadvertent collision before being helped onto the stretcher. She was awake leaving the Pit, however, and Bradbury said the news was encouraging.
“I’m told she’s talking and moving around and is going to be fine,” Bradbury said. “I didn’t see what happened but it was a little scary seeing her laying there. But she’s being checked out and it all sounds positive now.”
Not even Lapeyrolerie’s injury could slow Saturday’s onslaught as Emily Lines came off the bench in her place and chipped in nine points on three 3-pointers with two assists and a block in 11 minutes.
“Conference play has been fun so far,” Lines said with a smile. “We’ve worked so hard in practice, it’s nice to have that show on the court. Everyone’s excited about it.”
Mykiel Burleson and Jaisa Nunn contributed 12 points apiece to help foil the Aztecs’ strategy of doubleteaming Lobo post Richelle van der Keijl, who finished with eight points and four blocks.
“If they’re going to take Richelle away, other people have to pick up the slack,” Bradbury said. “We have to be able to adjust and tonight we did.”
Jayda Bovero scored eight points for UNM, as did Lapeyrolerie.
The Lobos (6-6 overall) improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since starting 3-0 in 2008-09, while San Diego State (5-7, 0-1) saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
New Mexico dominated in virtually every area, outrebounding the Aztecs 51-34, outscoring them in the paint 36-16 and building an 18-2 advantage in fast-reak points. The Lobos’ bench outscored SDSU’s 32-12.
Bradbury was not about to discuss his team’s ability to contend in the Mountain West race.
“I’m too simple to think that far ahead,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy this one, watch the New Year’s celebration on TV and tomorrow start preparing for (Wednesday’s opponent) Utah State.”