Early knockout: Lobo women dominant in 99-65 matinee win

Sometimes it's really not about how you finish.

The UNM women's basketball scored an early knockout Wednesday, blowing out New Orleans 99-65 in an 11 a.m. matinee in the Pit.

Playing in front of hundreds of school-age fans on "Field Trip Day," the Lobos came out sizzling in the first half. Riding its pressing, trapping defense, UNM raced to a 37-12 lead after one quarter and never looked back.

Destinee Hooks scored 18 points and Nayli Padilla added 15 for New Mexico, which used all 12 players in the first half while rolling to a 65-25 lead. Eleven Lobos scored four points or more as the home team improved to 3-1 on the season.

"For 20 minutes that was about as good as we can play," UNM coach Mike Bradbury said. "We played really hard, were really aggressive, created turnovers and a lot of easy baskets."

With the game effectively decided, the Lobos' intensity waned in the second half. UNM stumbled to the finish line, going 3-for-13 from the field, missing several layups and turning the ball over five times in a sloppy fourth quarter.

But the final 10 minutes only served to keep the Lobos from surpassing 100 points. The first 20 minutes decided the issue, and defense was the catalyst. The Lobos forced 17 New Orleans turnovers on 13 steals in the first half, leading directly to 26 fast-break points.

"I think we were solid defensively," Hooks said, "and a lot of our offense came from that. I thought our energy was really good."

Wednesday's game was the regular-season debut for junior point guard Cacia Antonio, who was ruled ineligible for UNM's first three games. Antonio wasted no time getting involved, going coast to coast to bank in the Lobos' first basket. She finished with 10 points, three rebounds and four assists in just under 20 minutes of action.

"She played hard, was probably a little rusty," Bradbury said of Antonio. "She turned it over a bit (three times), but she's an elite defender and she really adds to our rotation."

The Lobos' deep rotation put the Privateers (0-3) into an immediate spin cycle Wednesday, Joanna Magalhães and Laila Abdurraqib drained 3-pointers during an 18-4 UNM surge to start the game.

Padilla and Hooks combined for three more 3's in the first quarter as the lead ballooned to 37-12 — much to the delight of their chanting, youthful fans.

"I love having those kids bring the energy for us," Hooks said with a smile.

Bradbury rotated all of his healthy bench players in and out through the first half (freshman Kaia Foster was out with a broken finger), but the frenzied pace continued. Drew Jordon scored six of her 10 points during a 23-9 run that pushed the Lobos' lead to 60-21 with 2:27 left in the first half.

The Lobos shot a red-hot 70.6% in the game's first 20 minutes thanks in large part to transition opportunities created by the defense.

"We've worked a lot on our run-and-jump defense and trapping during practice," said Alyssa Hargrove, who had a career-high seven steals to go with five points and four assists. "We're starting to feel very confident with that and when we get in transition everyone on this team can make plays."

New Orleans was able to find some offensive rhythm in the second half behind guard Shanihya Brown, who scored a team-high 18 points. UNM continued to roll in the third quarter, building its largest lead at 86-42 on a Clarissa Craig hook shot in the paint.

The Lobos' foot slipped off the gas in the fourth quarter, however, allowing the Privateers to cut into the deficit though they never mounted a serious threat.

"We just got sloppy and for some reason we couldn't snap out of it," Bradbury said. "Give New Orleans credit, they kept playing hard. I wouldn't say I was really disappointed because we played really well for most of the game. We definitely could have finished better, though."

Craig finished with nine points, while Magalhães and Abdurraqib scored eight apiece for UNM. The Lobos visit New Mexico State on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

Lobos women's basketball trounces New Orleans: Photos