Revenge in the Pan Am: Lobos drub Aggies after losing to them twice last season

LAS CRUCES — It took the UNM Lobos a while to get rolling Sunday at the Pan American Center.

Once they did, there was no stopping them.

Nayli Padilla scored a game-high 14 points to lead a balanced scoring effort as the Lobos rolled to a 77-45 romp over rival New Mexico State. Ten players scored for the Lobos (4-1), eight chipping in six points or more.

The Aggies (1-2) led 11-10 after a sluggish first quarter filled with turnovers and missed open shots by both teams. But New Mexico thoroughly dominated the second and third quarters, outscoring NMSU 51-14 to turn the rivalry game into a laugher.

The Lobos made a point to enjoy the win after losing twice to NMSU last season. Players did a quick postgame dance and posed for photos with fans behind their bench before racing to the locker room.

“We enjoyed that one for sure,” senior Alyssa Hargrove said. “The first quarter was a little rocky, but after that we got our press going, executed on offense, just a good overall team effort.”

Cacia Antonio and Destinee Hooks finished with 10 points apiece for UNM, while Hargrove finished with nine.

Lucia Yenes led the Aggies with 11 points but eight of them came in the fourth quarter when the outcome was decided. Yenes came into the game averaging 25 points per game and put up 27 in NMSU’s opener against USC, but she struggled to score against the defense of UNM posts Clarissa Craig and Jesse Joaquim.

“(Yenes) was a focal point of our game plan,” Lobos coach Mike Bradbury said. “She’s such a good player and hard to guard, so we wanted to put some size on her, change things up with occasional double-teams and just make her think. I thought Clarissa and Jessie did a really nice job on her.”

Craig, who collected eight points and eight rebounds in just 13:44 of playing time, smiled when asked about her defensive outing.

“We just wanted to do what we could to contain (Yenes),” she said. “Once we shook off that first quarter, I felt like everyone got involved and we really played our game.”

The first quarter was not eye-pleasing, to be sure. The Lobos and Aggies combined for 15 turnovers, numerous missed layups and a slew of sloppy mistakes. Even then, Bradbury was not overly concerned.

“I think our players were just too excited, playing a little too fast,” he said. “But we had the right mindset and were ready to play. It’s a lot easier to dial that back than it is to gear up when you’re not focused.”

The Lobos took over almost immediately in the second quarter, starting with a 19-2 run. Hargrove, Hooks and Padilla drained 3-pointers during the surge, and the half ended with Tyler Jones drilling her first 3 of the season. Jones had a strong performance off the bench, finishing with six points, four assists and two steals in 22 minutes.

The avalanche continued in the third quarter as UNM built its lead to 61-25. Antonio and Laila Abdurraqib added two more of the Lobos’ 10 3-pointers. They finished 10-for-22 from long range.

On the other bench, NMSU struggled mightily to score until the fourth quarter, going an icy 8-for-42 over the first three quarters. The Aggies finished 2-for-14 from 3-point range, with both makes coming in the final 10 minutes.

Bradbury was particularly happy with his team’s balance and the steady improvement UNM has shown since an 84-59 loss to Colorado in its second game of the season.

“You look at the stat sheet and we scored almost 80 points without anyone really having a big game,” he said. “That’s a tribute to the team, how focused they are and how they share the ball. That’s really encouraging this early in the season.”

UNM returns to Albuquerque for a pair of home games in the coming week, hosting UT Martin on Thursday and Texas Tech on Sunday.