PHOTO BY JOE GRIMANDO
Albuquerque, New Mexico- The UNM Lobos WBB (19-9, 11-6) defeated Air Force Academy (12-15, 6-11) in a Mountain West bout at The Pit Feb. 21.
The final: AFA 53, UNM 73.
The Lobos capped their week with two wins in two games: one at Grand Canyon thanks to a game-winning layup from Alyssa Hargrove at the buzzer, and a 20-point commanding victory at home against AFA.
The first half was tight, and Air Force was not giving up anything defensively as they outmatched UNM in both steals and blocks, earning six in each category.
“Air Force is tough to play against. They always put up a fight, and cause some problems,” UNM head coach Mike Bradbury said.
Players like Alexis Cortez, Emily Adams, and Jayda McNabb were flying to the ball, and capitalizing on some nice looks.
Offensively, AFA was not afraid to toss it from beyond the arc, Bhret Clay and Jordy DeVaughn each drained a couple of 3 pointers early on.
At the half, the score was 31-28 in favor in UNM. After that, is when UNM’s top scorers began to take charge.
The UNM trio of Destinee Hooks, Nayli Padilla, and Laila Abdurraqib combined for 35 points on 53% shooting; all three finished with double figures. The Lobos had four players reach double figures in points, the other being UNM’s Jessie Joaquim who wasalso a force in the paint.
“I think with this game we finally found some connection with each other,” Padilla said of the movement and flow.
Joaquim finished the contest with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds, finishing five-for-six on field goals.
“In our offensive system, be ready to catch the ball, and shoot,” ready to finish,” Joaquim said.
Cacia Antonio nearly logged a double-double as well, logging nine boards and nine points.
Joaquim and Antonio’s production on boards helped the Lobos reach 47 total rebounds while AFA only had 32.
The unsung hero of the game, though she only scored two points, was Alyssa Hargrove.
Hargrove impacted the game in many different ways, recording team-highs in assists (5), steals (3), and blocks (1).
“Was really proud of how our team came with focus and energy,” Coach Bradbury said.
AFA will look on to a home bout against Wyoming (9-17, 6-11) Feb. 25, and then travel to Fort Collins Feb. 28 for an in-state showdown with the Rams (21-7, 12-5).
The Lobos will continue its final stretch of the season with two road games before returning to The Pit March 3 for their regular season finale against Fresno State (14-14, 8-9).
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