Lobos rebound with big win at Air Force

Just the way you drew it up? Not even close.

Joana Magalhães went off for a career-high 29 points, Destinee Hooks added an efficient 13 and the UNM women's basketball team pulled away for a 74-57 road win over Air Force on Saturday.

The Lobos (13-7, 5-4 Mountain West) snapped a three-game losing streak with a solid performance, particularly in the second half when they outscored the Falcons 42-26 to take command.

Still, it wasn't the kind of game one might have expected. Consider:

• UNM, which came in leading the MWC in rebound margin (+5.4 per game), was outrebounded 35-29 by the shorter Falcons.
• Air Force, the league leader in turnover margin (+3.7 per game) was on the wrong side of a 24-11 turnover count Saturday. The Lobos had an 18-6 advantage in points off turnover.
• Then there was Magalhães, who had struggled mightily from 3-point range (6-for-44) this season. The sophomore hit 5-of-6 on Saturday, including three in the third quarter when the Lobos broke the game wide open.

"It doesn't always make sense, does it?" UNM coach Mike Bradbury said. "The stats were kind of backward in this game, but I'm really happy with the way we played in the second half. We made a few adjustments, everyone stuck to the plan and, of course, Jo was terrific."

Magalhães and Hooks did the heavy lifting for UNM's offense, but several players contributed in other key areas. Alyssa Hargrove had five assists, five steals and three rebounds to go with her four points, while freshman Kaia Foster collected six points and four blocks after being forced into early duty.

The odd theme for Saturday's game was established early, when Air Force's top scorer, Milahnie Perry, was not in the lineup for disciplinary reasons. Perry's absence ended up impacting both teams.

"It did throw our game plan out of whack," Bradbury said. "We had a plan to contain her and that kind of went out the window. We had to change our defense up a little at halftime."

UNM starting post Jessie Joaquim also went to the bench after picking up two fouls in the first four minutes. Foster came off the bench and hit two 3-pointers as the Lobos grabbed a 19-14 lead.

Air Force (8-12, 2-8) responded with drives into the paint and kick-outs to open shooters in the second quarter. A.J. Mannering hit the Falcons' fourth 3-pointer of the quarter in the closing seconds, trimming UNM's lead to 32-31 at halftime.

But the Lobos wasted little time taking control in the third quarter. Magalhães swished back-to-back 3's and Hooks scored inside on a half-opening 8-0 run that built UNM's lead to 40-31. Magalhães and Hooks combined for 21 of the Lobos' 23 points in the quarter, which ended with a Hargrove layup that made the score 55-45.

"Jo and Destinee got really good shots because our offense was effective," Bradbury said. "We reversed the ball well, kept it moving and (Magalhães and Hooks) hit the shots when they had them."

UNM continued to pull away in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 21 points. The team increased its ball pressure after halftime and limited AFA to 8-for-21 shooting. The Lobos were 14-for-27 shooting in the second half and ended the game with 19 steals to just five by the Falcons.

The Lobos return home to host defending MWC champ UNLV on Wednesday at 7 p.m.