New Mexico’s two-game slip came to a close after beating the SMU Mustangs 63-58 on Saturday night in Dallas, Texas.
The first quarter was the start UNM needed, going up 15-8 after starting slow in the previous two contests. The hot first quarter didn’t correlate with the rest of the first half as New Mexico’s defense appeared to hit a brick wall in the second quarter. The Lobos were outscored 24-15 in that period, finding themselves in a 32-30 hole at the half.
The defense found its ground again in the third, limiting SMU to just eight points while the offense heated up to score 19 in the third quarter. That lead propelled the Lobos to victory, despite being outscored in the final 10 minutes of the game.
When the Lobos are hitting full stride, the team turns to its interior players to get the job done. Although senior Khadijah Shumpert struggled with fouls early in the game, it was freshman Jaisa Nunn who relieved the senior captain of her duties.
Nunn wound up with the game-high 14 points in 15 minutes and was near perfect from the field. Her 7 for 8 shooting night was complimented with six boards, a steal, a block, and even an assist from the true center.
Sophomore starting guard Cherise Beynon filled the stat sheet yet again during the team’s first road victory of the season as she dropped 13 points, tallied three boards, dished out four, and collected three steals.
Head coach Yvonne Sanchez knew the game was going to be physical, she said before leaving on the two-game road trip. However, not even the head coach could have predicted walking out of Dallas with a victory after being out-rebounded by a 48-32 margin.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
