Poor shooting and second half woes haunted the Lobos again as they lost their second straight game in the Thanksgiving Tournament at WisePies Arena to Saint Joseph’s, 79-67.
New Mexico (2-3) — losing its third straight game overall — got off to a hot start in the first quarter thanks to junior guard Cherise Beynon and Richelle van der Keijl. Beynon put up seven points in the quarter, while van der Keijl scored six, giving the Lobos a comfortable lead of 21-6 entering the second quarter.
The Lobos held St. Joseph’s (2-4) to 1-for-16 shooting in the first quarter, while the Lobos shot 9-for-16.
The Hawks gained a little more momentum in the second frame, outscoring New Mexico 22-18, but things were still looking good for the Lobos as they took a comfortable 39-28 halftime lead into the locker room.
The Lobos did not look at all like the team that played in the first half as things started to come undone after the break.
Sloppy play by UNM, coupled with good execution by St. Joseph’s, quickly turned things around for the Hawks. The Lobos opened the third quarter with back-to-back turnovers and within five minutes had given up the lead.
St. Joseph’s Alyssa Monaghan hit a jumper to give her team a 44-43 lead with 5:22 to play in the third quarter.
The Lobos scored six straight to briefly go back on top, but found themselves mired in another slump afterward. They did not score again for the rest of the quarter and trailed 54-49.
UNM found better shooting in the fourth quarter, but could not stop the Hawks defensively. The team gave up 25 points in the final period, dashing any hope of a comeback as St. Joseph’s walked away with a 79-67 victory.
Head coach Mike Bradbury said he had nothing but praise for the Hawks, but realized his team’s play, or lack thereof, aided in the second-half collapse.
“I thought St. Joseph’s executed their offense really good in the second half,” Bradbury said. “We couldn’t guard them, we didn’t guard them, we wouldn’t guard them and therefore they shot about 60 percent in the second half — and that was the difference.”
Beynon scored a season-high 18 points for UNM, but she did so on just 5-for-23 shooting. She also led the Lobos in rebounding, bringing down nine boards.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Van der Keijl didn’t produce as much as she usually does in terms of rebounding efficiency, bringing in seven total boards. But she did score 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting, and knocked down 3-of-7 shots from the charity stripe. Van der Keijl also had three blocks.
Jaisa Nunn had an efficient game offensively for the Lobos. She scored 15 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, and sunk seven of her 10 free throw attempts.
Beynon said she wasn’t impressed with her team’s performance, describing the team as becoming “lazy” after it built a comfortable lead.
“(St. Joseph’s) played harder and wanted it more than we did,” Beynon said. “That’s what happened these last few games, we’re just not trying hard enough. We’re just expecting instead of working hard.”
The Lobos will pick up play again on Wednesday in a second matchup against New Mexico State in Las Cruces, New Mexico at 5:30 p.m. UNM took the first round against NMSU earlier this season by a score of 84-55.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women’s basketball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
