The University of New Mexico Lobo women’s basketball team, fresh off two straight wins, headed into battle versus the Utah State University Aggies in The Pit, looking to keep this momentum going on Saturday, Jan. 31. The Lobos proved to be too much for Utah State, building upon a huge halftime lead to win 58-33.
UNM gained control early after closing out the first period on a 6-0 run to take a 19-7 lead. Utah State looked uncomfortable from the beginning as the Lobos held them to 2-13 from the field just over 15%.
The Lobos on the other hand were cooking in the kitchen, leading by as much as 18 points at halftime. Guard Nayli Padilla led the team in scoring, with 10 points in the first half, eight of which were scored in the second quarter.
“It feels good, I am just trying to get my confidence back and practice more, so I felt really good to be back and I hope to stay lined up,” Padilla said.
Utah State began the second half on a 6-0 run to chip the deficit down to 12, until the Lobos responded with a 4-0 run of their own. The deficit was too much to overcome for the Aggies, as the Lobos built their lead to as much as 26 points.
“The third quarter, we kind of slowed down a little bit, but fourth quarter, we knew we needed to hit them hard and hit them fast, coming out that’s what we tried to do,” Lobo guard Destinee Hooks said.
Hooks ultimately finished with nine points and three rebounds.
After scoring the first bucket of the game, the Aggies never led again, while the Lobos kept the same intensity on the defensive side of the ball throughout.
“I thought defensively, we were pretty good, it was nice to be able to stay consistent, and then have the right mindset, defensively, without making shots,” Lobo Head Coach Mike Bradbury said.
The Lobos dominated in rebounding, as they out rebounded Utah State 48-30, which allowed them 13 second chance points to Utah State’s two, while also getting much more production from their bench with 25 points compared to only nine from the Aggies.
Forward Jessie Joaquim led the team in rebounds with 12, and forward Emma Najjuma had nine off the bench.
“I’s really important and I think Jesse (Joaquim) did a tremendous job, Emma (Najjuma) did a tremendous job. Jesse’s been outstanding on the boards the last couple of games,” Bradbury said.
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After a decisive 25-point victory against the Aggies, the Lobos will be heading to Laramie, Wyoming on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to face the University of Wyoming Cowgirls.
Alex Joe is a freelance videographer for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @DailyLobo
