Buzzer beaters were there for the New Mexico at the end of the second and third quarter. But the Lobos did not get the one when they needed it most — at the end of the game.
New Mexico (15-13, 10-7 MW) fell to Wyoming (19-8, 11-5 MW) in the closing seconds, 60-58, on Saturday afternoon at WisePies Arena.
Head coach Mike Bradbury seemed visibly upset and kept his answer short and simple when asked why his team lost to Wyoming, saying it was his team’s inability to score on open opportunities.
“Same old song,” Bradbury said. “When they got open shots, they make them. When we get open shots, we miss them… it's the same old thing.”
Senior Richelle van der Keijl put on quite a performance, scoring 18 points and bringing down 15 rebounds against the Cowgirls, giving her a double-double in the Lobos’ final regular season home game.
But van der Keijl, despite her performance, said she believed she could've played better.
“I think it's one of my better games, yes,” van der Keijl said. “But there were definitely things I can still improve in this game.
Only one other Lobo scored in double-digits alongside van der Keijl. Junior guard Cherise Beynon who scored 18 points to go with six rebounds and six assists, but fouled out late in the game.
The first quarter didn't see much scoring from either side, as what Bradbury called the two best defensive teams, lived up to the billing.
The Lobos got on the board first off a Beynon jumper, but the Cowgirls answered to tie things up. New Mexico broke away with an 8-0 run to grab a 12-4 advantage with 4:11 left in the quarter.
But Wyoming didn’t back down, jumping right back into the game, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and a layup to tie the game again at 12-12 entering the second quarter.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the second quarter again, but the Lobos got the better end of it with a shot just before halftime. Beynon was able to make a put-back attempt at the buzzer to give the Lobos the 25-23 lead going into the locker room.
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The Lobos opened up the third quarter with a van der Keijl layup to put them up 27-23 early on, but Wyoming managed to stick around throughout the period.
With 20 seconds left, Wyoming’s Taylor Rusk made a layup to give her team the 39-38 advantage. But the Lobos responded by pulling off another buzzer beater when junior Jayda Bovero hit a layup as time expired to reclaim the lead for the Lobos at 40-39 going into the final quarter of play.
But the Lobos couldn’t hit a bucket over the first three and a half minutes of play, as Wyoming opened up the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run. The Cowgirls enjoyed a 49-40 margin, but the Lobos slowly chipped away at it.
Still trailing by nine, 55-46, with under two minutes to play in the game, New Mexico elevated its aggressiveness on the offensive end. UNM Junior Laneah Bryan hit a 3-pointer with 1:48 on the clock, which set things in motion for the Lobos.
Shortly after Bryan’s shot, the Lobos sent Wyoming’s Marta Gomez to the free throw line where she split a pair of free throws. Redshirt junior Alex Lapeyrolerie was feeling it, hitting a 3-pointer to close Wyoming’s lead to 56-52.
After Wyoming converted one free throw from the foul line, Lapeyrolerie drilled another one from beyond the arc with 37 seconds left, making it a 57-55 game.
The Lobos had to foul to extend the game, but the Cowgirls made both attempts from the charity stripe to go back up by four. But the Lobos still didn't shy away from adversity, as van der Keijl made a strong move in the low-post, drawing contact while still finishing the shot.
She converted the and-one opportunity to pull the Lobos within 59-58 with 11 seconds remaining.
New Mexico had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds again, after Wyoming again made just one of its foul shots.
Lapeyrolerie got the final look, but missed an off-balance 3-point shot that could have won the game. Instead Wyoming earned a 60-58 road win.
Bradbury said he believed his team was dealt a short hand by having to play two games in a week, while Wyoming had a full week to prepare for New Mexico.
“This is the fifth time that's happened – the fifth time – that we've played a team that's had a bye and we've been on the road on Wednesday,” Bradbury said. “That's not complaining, that's just stating the facts.
The head coach continued to explain why the situation may have influenced the outcome in some of the team’s most recent games.
“We’re the only team other than San Jose [State] that's not chartering home all of these games, too,” Bradbury said. “We've lost how many games by two points, three points to the three best teams in the league — so yeah, it makes a big difference.”
As a team, the Lobos shot 36 percent from the field compared to Wyoming’s 38.5. The Cowgirls also won the rebounding battle again, snagging 60 rebounds to outwork the Lobos by two boards.
New Mexico did most of its damage in the post, scoring 32 of the team’s 58 points in the paint, while limited Wyoming to just 16.
Up next for the Lobos is a game at San Diego State – their final regular season game – on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The game is set to be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women's basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz
