Late fourth quarter woes halted the New Mexico women's basketball team’s hopes of sweeping the New Mexico States this season, as the final score favored the hometown Aggies, 77-70.
The loss dropped the Lobos to a 2-4 record and marks the fourth straight loss, while the Aggies won their third straight to improve to 5-2.
Head coach Mike Bradbury thought that his team played well throughout most of the game, but fell short when it mattered most.
“I thought we played relatively hard for three quarters, we were out-rebounded but we were winning,” Bradbury said in a release. “But we got crushed on the boards in the fourth quarter and didn't respond very well.”
Bradbury was right, as the taller Lobos got out-rebounded 44-36 by the Aggies.
Guard Cherise Beynon, despite the loss, scored a season-high 22 points on 9-of-19 (47 percent) shooting from the field. Beynon was productive in many other aspects on the court, as she dished out five assists, brought down eight rebounds and had four steals on the night.
Another strong performance for the Lobos came from reliable center Richelle van der Keijl. Van der Keijl scored 21 points — two more than her first go-around against the Aggies at WisePies Arena. She also grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots.
“Offensively (van der Keijl and Beynon) were both really good," Bradbury said in a release. "We needed both of their points to be in the game. I think they have been kind of our leaders throughout the year so hopefully they continue.”
Despite the loss, the Lobos upped their field goal percentage from both the field as a whole and from beyond the arc. The Lobos shot 45 percent overall, a 10 percent improvement from their last game against St. Joseph’s in the Thanksgiving tournament. The Lobos also shot 33 percent from 3-point land, making 6-of-18 shots from there, another improvement from their last game.
It was a fourth quarter rally that ultimately earned the Aggies a victory, with the score being close through most of the game.
The Lobos trailed by as many as eight points in the first quarter, but a Laneah Bryan 3-pointer and a free throw from van der Keijl tied things up at 19 points.
The second quarter was also tight, but a Mykiel Burleson 3-pointer at the 31-second mark put the Lobos up 40-37 over the Aggies at the half.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Both the Lobos and Aggies had their respective runs in the third quarter — the Lobos went on a 8-0 run to give them a 57-49 advantage, but the Aggies wouldn't back down on their home court as they scored seven straight to close out the quarter and bring the affair back to one point, 56-57.
The Lobos lacked fight in the fourth quarter, as they were outscored 21-13 in the final frame, allowing the Aggies to coast to a 77-70 home win.
The Lobos will return to action against the Mustangs of Southern Methodist on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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
