UNM WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Lobos rebound with close victory over Spartans
Abdurraqib scores 19 and UNM scratches out tight win over San Jose State at the Pit.
Wednesday was a night for upsets in Mountain West women's basketball. The UNM Lobos had to fight for 40 minutes to avoid one.
Laila Abdurraqib scored a game-high 19 points and the Lobos scratched out a 66-61 win over San Jose State at the Pit. UNM (17-8, 9-5) won for the fifth time in six games but it wasn't the comfortable kind of win the Lobos were hoping for against the last-place Spartans (3-22, 1-13).
To give credit where it was due, San Jose State played well above its season averages. Led by Maya Anderson's 16 points, SJSU stayed close throughout with 9-of-19 shooting from 3-point range and earning free throws with hard drives to the basket.
Even so, UNM did enough to blow things open with even an average shooting performance. The Lobos outrebounded SJSU 44-30 with 19 offensive rebounds and attempted 70 shots to the Spartans' 48. But the home team shot just 34% and needed four free throws in the final 14 seconds to finally secure the win.
Joana Magalhaes and Destinee Hooks scored 12 points apiece for the Lobos, who walked away with a win on a night when Wyoming upset UNLV 82-72 in Las Vegas and Fresno State snapped Boise State's nine-game winning streak with a 75-69 win.
"Yeah, it's always good to win," UNM coach Mike Bradbury said. "There are no easy games at this point. In mid-February every game is difficult and San Jose State played well. They shot it really well."
The Lobos, for a second straight game, did not shoot well. The offense showed improvement over Saturday's ice-cold 63-35 loss at Boise State, but UNM shooters often appeared hesitant and passed up open looks in the paint only to end up with more difficult shots.
"We've just got to find open shots and take them," Magalhaes said. "You want to find the perfect shot, but it doesn't always have to be perfect. You just have to shoot it with confidence."
UNM hit just enough shots Wednesday, thanks in large part to Abdurraqib, who went 5-for-8 from 3-point range with two assists, two steals and no turnovers while playing a team-high 29:36 off the bench.
"Laila's playing well," Bradbury said. "She's been consistent, she's shot well tonight and made good decisions. She's ready to go when we need her."
Abdurraqib hit three first-half 3's to help UNM grab a 30-22 lead midway through the second quarter. But SJSU answered with an 8-0 run that included 3-pointers by Gabriela Pato and Carla Fuster, and the score was tied at 34 at halftime.
The Spartans continued to hit 3's in the third quarter, including one by Pato that banked in, but UNM began attacking SJSU's zone defense more effectively. Hooks scored seven points in the quarter as the Lobos took a 54-50 lead.
Abdurraqib and Cacia Antonio hit 3-pointers to help the home team stretch its lead to 62-52 with 3:53 left, but UNM would not hit another field goal. Things got dicey when SJSU's Katarina Anderson scored and was fouled, and teammate Maya Anderson rebounded the missed free throw and scored to make it 64-61 with 8 seconds left.
Abdurraqib then hit two free throws to finally put things out of reach.
Wednesday's win combined with Colorado State's 64-61 loss to San Diego State moved UNM into a fourth-place tie in the MWC standings. The Lobos host CSU at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
