UNM came out sluggish offensively against the Aztecs, shooting just 9-27 from the field at the Viejas Arena. However, head coach Yvonne Sanchez’s second half adjustments sparked rhythm on the offensive side of the ball.
Senior guard Antiesha Brown proved to be a big part of the Lobos’ first half problems. UNM’s leading scorer was unable to put anything together, going 0-2 from the field in the first 20 minutes of play.
Without a strong offensive half, the Lobos relied on their defense to pull them through the rough patch. Although the Aztecs shot nearly 50 percent in the first half (13 of 27), UNM (15-10, 11-3 MW) scored 12 points off SDSU’s nine turnovers.
With Brown struggling, New Mexico used its other weapons at the beginning of the second half. Khadijah Shumpert led the way for the Lobos, setting the pace after halftime with a 17-4 point run which proved to be too much for the Aztecs (9-16, 6-8 MW).
Shumpert’s 17 points was the game high and, although the junior forward had only four rebounds, she provided more than enough to give the Lobos its eighth consecutive victory.
The Lobos turned to its freshman guard Cherise Beynon to get the tough balls off the glass as she recorded seven boards in 18 minutes of play.
The Aztecs’ freshman guard McKynzie Fort put together a sound performance with 12 points and two boards on the night, but it was no measure for UNM’s second half dominance.
SDSU’s struggles from the charity stripe (3-14) was also a major contributing factor to the team’s inability to put anything together in the second half. UNM outscored the Aztecs 40-20 in the final 20 minutes of play. The Lobos shot 10 of 15 from the line including a perfect 6-6 in the second half.
Although it took her a while to warm up, Brown ended her night with 10 points and led the Lobos to a 16-23 shooting frenzy in the final half of the game which sealed the win.
The Daily Lobo sports desk can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLoboSports.
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