The Lobos women’s basketball team came back to The Pit looking to get back in the win column after their dismantling at the hands of Boise State over the weekend. The University of New Mexico did just that with a 66-61 win over the San Jose State University Spartans on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
This game had all the makings of a trap game as San Jose State entered this one with just three wins on the season and kept it close with the Lobos from start to finish, but the Lobos held on and won a close one.
“There’s no easy games, we’re halfway through February now so every game you play is gonna be difficult,” Head Coach Mike Bradbury said.
Lobo guard Joana Magalhães got the Lobos on the board first, beginning a first quarter that saw these two teams going back and forth; it seemed that early the Spartans had an answer for every Lobo score until the quarter's final seconds when Magalhães got a steal and began a possession that ended with a first quarter buzzer beater from point guard Laila Abdurraqib. This gave the Lobos much-needed breathing room, giving them a 21-15 lead.
The Spartans quickly overcame the lead the Lobos had built early in the quarter, when San Jose State Guard Maya Anderson knotted the game at 30 and later gave the Spartans a lead. However, that lead didn’t last very long due to a late layup from Lobo guard Cacia Antonio which tied the game up before these two teams went to the locker room.
The second quarter was not one for fans of efficient shooting, especially on the Lobos’ part. They went six for 22 from the field in this quarter and made just one of 12 on three-point attempts in the second quarter. With numbers like those, they were fortunate to be tied.
“They played all zone the whole time and I think we got a little stagnant there, but other than that it was fine we just need to make more shots.” Bradbury said
The third quarter saw the Lobos build another lead off early layups from Antonio and guard Destinee Hooks. Each team went back and forth the rest of the quarter, and that meant going into the final stanza, it was a 4-point game in favor of the Lobos.
Notably in this quarter, Magalhães got into a collision and had to sit for a while, but it was nothing serious as she got up on her own, checked back in for the final minutes, and said she was fine after the game.
It’s inevitable for a team to go on a run in basketball and that is exactly what the Lobos did in the fourth quarter, creating some separation with an 8-2 run. This gave them a 10-point cushion to work with late in the game.
The Lobos had shored up defensively, holding the Spartans for a majority of the second half. They held the Spartans to just 9 for 21 from the field in the second half.
The late stages of the game saw the Lobos clinging to a 5-point lead and the Spartans desperately fouling to get the ball back — a strategy that rarely works, which was no different here as Abdurraqib made her free throws with under a second left to ice the game and bring the final score to 66-61.
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“Honestly that felt great — support from my teammates and coaches, and my next play mentality helps me a lot,” Abdurraqib said after her game leading 19-point performance.
The Lobos will look to build on this as they face Colorado State University at The Pit on Saturday, Feb. 14.
“I expect a really good game; we’ll have to make good decisions and be the best team,” Magalhães said.
Marley Herndon is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @Dailylobo
