The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team is sitting on a cloud of momentum, after winning two straight (both at home) against the likes of Utah State and San Jose State.
On Wednesday when they face Boise State on the road — who they beat in early January at Dreamstyle Arena — a win can continue that streak.
Against the Spartans on Sunday and against Utah State last Wednesday, the Lobos had a huge defensive resurgence in the second quarters of each game. The Lobos held USU to four points, and outscored the Spartans 22-6 in the second quarter en route to a 92-62 victory.
Four UNM players scored in double digits on Sunday, with junior post Jaisa Nunn leading the way with 30 points and 11 rebounds, which marked her 13th double-double of the season.
Senior guards Alex Lapeyrolerie (15), Laneah Bryan (11) and Cherise Beynon (10) each scored in double figures, too, with Bryan coming off of the bench. Lapeyrolerie, on the other hand, scored all 15 of her points on five 3-pointers.
Meanwhile BSU is coming off of a loss on the road at UNLV on Saturday, 77-54, where they found themselves down by 11 points after the first quarter, and were outscored over the next three quarters too.
The last time the two teams met, UNM reeled off a 100-83 victory, marking the first time they have reached the 100-point mark since the creation of the Mountain West conference.
Lapeyrolerie, against BSU at home, led the Lobos with 23 points with five made 3s. Beynon tied her career-high 15 assists that night.
This season the Broncos have posed a threat offensively, as they rank second in scoring (70.5 points per game) in the Mountain West right behind the the Lobos who average 83.7 points per game and second in field goal percentage (42.7).
Sophomore guard Riley Lupfer has been the Broncos’ main offensive weapon, as she averages 16.1 points per game. She’s also a threat from range, hitting 46.3 percent of her shots, while also leading the league in 3s made (83).
The only other Bronco averaging on double figures in scoring is junior guard Marta Hermida (10.1).
UNM has four players who are scoring in double figures over the season in Beynon (16.7), Nunn (15.9), Buck (14.1) and Lapeyrolerie (12.0).
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Defensively, the Lobos are forcing 16.5 turnovers a game, while commiting 12.1 turnovers of their own.
The Lobos lead the Mountain West in scoring offense, field goal percentage (43.3), 3-point percentage (36.5) and turnover margin (4.33).
Tip-off for Wednesday’s matchup between UNM and BSU is at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
Matthew Narvaiz is a senior sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
