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The UNM women’s basketball team needed a furious second-half rally to defeat Houston Baptist on Sunday at The Pit.
And they found it, going on a 19-4 run during the final seven minutes of the game to defeat the Huskies 63-46.
Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said Houston Baptist came out determined to beat UNM.
“It was a good, gritty win. Houston Baptist is not the team they were last year and, quite frankly, neither are we,” Sanchez said. “A win’s a win. I’m proud of this team. We outscored them 37 to 16 in the second half, and that’s pretty impressive. I’m proud of my team, but we have a long way to go.”
The Huskies didn’t make a basket until 10:28 remained in the second half, when sophomore guard Devyn Weymouth hit a layup to cut UNM’s lead to 39-33. Houston Baptist scored only four points in the final 6:23.
Houston Baptist then cut the deficit to 44-42, before UNM junior guard Sara Halasz stole a pass and fed junior forward Deeva Vaughn for an easy layup, scoring a 46-44 advantage.
After freshman point guard Bryce Owens hit a long trey, senior guard Caroline Durbin pushed UNM’s lead to 54-44, thanks to a layup followed by another 3-pointer. Durbin had a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists in 32 minutes of action.
Halasz, who scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards, said the team knew it had to start out fast in the second half.
“We came out strong and came out saying we were going to win every four minutes that we can,” she said.
Durbin said the main reason for the turnaround in the second half was the Lobos’ defensive play.
“We needed to start with defense,” she said. “In the second half, we needed to play with more of a sense of urgency.”
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Houston sophomore forward Shanice Steenholdt, who is from Roswell, N.M., led the Huskies with 21 points and 16 rebounds. She also recorded two steals and two assists, and was the only Husky in double figures.
Sanchez said she was very impressed with the way Steenholdt played.
“Steenholdt had a terrific game. She is relentless and a heck of a player,” Sanchez said. “I always root for New Mexico kids whether we have them or not.”
UNM had four players in double figures, as Halasz and Durbin were joined by Vaughn with 11 points and Owens with 11 points, four assists and three steals.
The Lobos are now 3-0 for the first time since the 2008-2009 season. Last year, it took UNM eight games to earn three victories.
“It’s fun to be in this position, and we want to enjoy our wins,” Sanchez said. “We want to get better as a team and hopefully collectively.”
