Opening day drama: NAU hits buzzer-beater to edge Lobo women

Basketball drama was in midseason form Monday at the Pit.

The Northern Arizona and New Mexico women’s teams traded blows to the bitter end before the Lumberjacks landed a knockout shot to beat the buzzer and the Lobos.

NAU’s Sophie Glancey hit a leaning, well-defended 12-foot baseline jumper with 0.2 seconds left to give the visitors an 80-78 victory in the season-opener for both teams. Glancey, the Big Sky Conference’s Preseason MVP, finished with 17 points.

It was a heartbreaking result for the revamped Lobos, who looked sharp for most of the game and led by as many as 13 points. A 10-0 Lumberjacks run early in the fourth quarter erased UNM’s advantage and turned the final seven minutes into a nail-biter for an announced Pit crowd of 5,114. The gathering included more than 650 elementary school students for a “Field Trip Game” promotion.

Still, Lobos coach Mike Bradbury came away generally pleased with his team’s debut against an NAU team picked to win the Big Sky this season. UNM sophomore Destinee Hooks scored a game-high 21 points, 11 Lobos played significant minutes and the home team rallied to tie the score three times in the final minute — before Glancey’s dagger.

“Really good game,” Bradbury said. “We knew Northern Arizona was going to be good this year — they would be a top three or four team in our league. I really didn’t know how we’d compete with a team of this caliber, especially in our first game, and we gave ourselves a chance to win. Now we know that’s realistic for us.”

UNM was largely able to match Northern Arizona’s preferred frenetic pace. The Lumberjacks, who ranked among the national leaders in pace of play last season, shot early and often, launching 35 3-pointers and hitting 11, while the Lobos went 8-of-19 from long range.

New Mexico outrebounded NAU 48-36 and had advantages in points in the paint (42-34), fast-break points (14-5) and bench points (21-18). Viané Cumber had 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds for UNM, while Alyssa Hargrove collected 12 points, six boards, four assists and two steals.

But the Lobos hurt their cause with mistakes, both forced and unforced. UNM missed several open layups (two on fast-break opportunities), committed 18 turnovers and left Leia Beattie, NAU’s top 3-point shooter, wide open twice during the Lumberjacks’ fourth-quarter surge. She drained both shots.

“We knew we were taking a bit of a chance with that group,” Bradbury said, referring to a lineup of mostly UNM reserves that started the fourth quarter. “We made a couple mistakes defensively, left (Beattie) open, and it cost us. We’ll watch the tape and learn from that.”

Four players made their first career starts for the Lobos, including Hooks and freshman guard Joana Magalhães. Bradbury also went to his bench early and often and got contributions from all 11 players who saw action.

UNM led 22-19 after one quarter and 42-34 at halftime, taking its largest lead on a Langermann 3-pointer that made the score 59-46 late in the third quarter. NAU responded in the fourth, hitting four 3-pointers during an 18-4 run that put the visitors up 71-68.

The final minute had fans standing. Hooks drilled a 3-pointer to tie the score at 75 with 49 seconds left. NAU regained the lead on a Nyah Moran driving layup, and Langermann again tied things with two free throws with 15 second remaining.

NAU’s Taylor Feldman hit one of two foul shots with 4.9 seconds left, and Hooks then drew a foul with 2.4 seconds on the clock. Her first attempt circled the rim and came out, but Hooks hit the second to make it 78-78.

After taking a timeout to advance the ball, NAU fed the ball to Glancey near the baseline — which Bradbury said the Lobos anticipated.

“We doubled her,” he said, “and she hit a leaning, well-defended shot to beat us. She’s the best player in her league, credit to her. I don’t know what else we could’ve done.”

UNM returns to action Thursday hosting Morehead State at 7 p.m. in the Pit.

UNM Lobos women's basketball team falls to NAU Lumberjacks in season opener

LUMBERJACKS 80, LOBOS 78

NORTHERN ARIZONA (1-0): N Moran 3-14 1-3 9, Glancey 7-15 2-3 17, O Moran 2-9 0-0 5, Feldman 4-10 6-8 15, Beattie 6-10 0-1 16, Schmidt 0-2 0-0 0, Neverson 4-7 2-3 11, Cummins 3-5 0-0 7, Li-Uperesa 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 29-72 11-18 80.

NEW MEXICO (0-1): Joaquim 1-4 2-2 4, Hooks 8-12 3-6 21, Hargrove 5-12 0-0 12, Magalhães 3-6 0-0 6, Cumber 4-10 4-5 14, Langermann 2-6 2-2 7, Lauro 0-2 0-0 0, Padilla 0-0 0-0 0, Moreland 2-6, 1-1 5, Jordon 2-2 0-0 4, Po 2-5 0-0 5. Totals: 29-65 12-16 78.

Northern Arizona 19 15 15 31 — 80

New Mexico 22 20 17 19 — 78

3-point Goals—Northern Arizona 11-35 (N Moran 2-9, Glancey 1-3, O Moran 1-4, Feldman 1-3, Beattie 4-8, Schmidt 0-2, Neverson 1-4, Cummins 1-2). New Mexico 8-19 (Hooks 2-4, Hargrove 2-4, Cumber 2-4, Langermann 1-3, Lauro 0-2, Po 1-2). Rebounds—Northern Arizona 36 (N Moran 2, Glancey 8, O Moran 4, Feldman 4, Beattie 7, Neverson 5, Cummins 1); New Mexico 48 (Joaquim 7, Hooks 6, Hargrove 6, Magalhães 2, Cumber 8, Langermann 2, Lauro 2, Padilla 3, Moreland 7, Po 1). Assists—Northern Arizona 20 (N Moran 3, O Moran 2, Feldman 5, Beattie 4, Cummins 1); New Mexico 15 (Hooks 2, Hargrove 4, Magalhães 2, Langermann 2, Lauro 1, Padilla 2, Po 2). Steals—Northern Arizona 5 (N Moran 1, O Moran 1, Beattie 1, Neverson 1, Cummins 1); New Mexico 8 (Joaquim 1, Hooks 1, Hargrove 2, Magalhães 1, Cumber 1, Langermann 1, Po 1). Blocks—Northern Arizona 4 (Glancey 2, Neverson 2); New Mexico 5 (Joaquim 1, Padilla 1, Moreland 1, Jordon 1, Po 1). Turnovers—Northern Arizona 14, New Mexico 18. Team fouls—Northern Arizona 17, NM 20. Fouled out—Northern Arizona, N Moran, O Moran. Technical fouls—None.