A year ago, the story could have been different.
In the 2013-14 campaign the Lobos lost six consecutive games by two possessions or fewer. It was uncanny that New Mexico (6-9, 2-2 Mountain West) would appear to have all of the momentum going into the final minutes followed by a late collapse.
This year head coach Yvonne Sanchez said she has a more mature group, and winning close affairs is something her current team is equipped to do.
“Just finishing the game and getting the win is something we’ve lacked for a couple of years,” Sanchez said. “To finish close games and win ... we’re growing up a little bit.”
Although UNM had multiple chances to put the game out of reach before the final seconds, the Lobos plugged through the tight contest and produced a win.
A major obstacle in the second half was USU’s freshman guard, Funda Nakkasoglu. After being held to 11 points in the first half, Nakkasoglu nailed eight of her 11 shots in the second half.
“Sometimes players just get to that place,” Sanchez said. “She’s a good player.”
An errant pass from senior guard Antiesha Brown with a 60-56 lead set up Nakkasoglu’s 3-pointer. It brought the Aggies within one point with only 29 seconds left on the clock.
Nakkasoglu would not have an opportunity to shoot again, finishing her night with a game- and career-high of 28 points.
With the shot clock turned off, USU (3-13, 0-4 MW) had to foul in order to stop the clock and send the Lobos to the line.
First up to the charity stripe was freshman guard Cherise Beynon, who sent her free throw bouncing off the iron and into a cluster of players fighting for the ball and out of bounds. Following a review by the officials, they confirmed UNM with possession and 17 seconds left.
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Brown, New Mexico’s best free throw shooter, received the inbound before being fouled with just nine seconds remaining. She also sent her 1-and-1 attempt off of the rim into the hands of Aggie forward Ingrida Strikas, who was fouled by Lobo forward Khadijah Shumpert.
It had all of the makings of another heartbreaker that the Lobos had become accustomed to just a season prior. However, this year UNM did not completely crumble in a close battle.
Utah inbounded the ball and Owens took a swipe from Nakkasoglu with two seconds remaining, bringing the game to an end.
“The thing about conference is that every game is going to be gritty,” Brown said. “Just from our experience last year, we were able to grow up a little bit more and finish these games out.”
Brown had the team-high 19 points and said she couldn’t have done it without the help of her teammates, particularly the post play.
Junior forward Alexa Chavez finished the night with 12 points, one shy of her career-high. She also added four steals and five boards to the mix.
Chavez started Saturday’s game with two early fouls in the first half, but said the foul trouble didn’t affect her mindset. She said she just had to be more alert, but the team couldn’t afford to be cautious, especially in the final moments.
“I just had to be more aware and not make any crucial or dumb mistakes,” Chavez said. “We have a lot of confidence right now. We just have to keep that going and it will keep on building.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
