“We’re 2-5 and except for Boise State every game has been competitive,” Aggie head coach Mark Trakh said. “We don’t have a senior on the roster, so we’re really young. We’re still learning but we took a big step up today.”
The Aggies almost sank half of their shots, shooting a season-high 48.1 percent from the field (26-54). The home team also shot 40 percent from 3-point range (10-25) and 80 percent from the free-throw line (8-10), also a season high.
The NM State defense, meanwhile, caused problems for UNM (1-7) all day long. The Lobos finished with 25 turnovers, the third time this season and second-consecutive game the Aggies have forced at least 25 turnovers.
“We pressed back into a zone and the girls really worked hard,” Trakh said. “I thought they finally got into the scheme. They were focused, they played like a team. I saw a lot of good progression, a lot of maturation today, so I’m really proud of the team.”
Weber, who marked a career-high 23 points on Thursday versus Eastern New Mexico, matched that point total on Sunday, finishing with another 23 points while also adding four rebounds and three assists. The preseason All-WAC selection shot 50 percent both from the field (7-14) and from beyond the arc (5-10). Weber also sank 4-of-6 free throws.
“I can’t say enough about Sasha,” Trakh said. “She played well, she’s the real deal, she stepped up big today.”
Freshman guard Zaire Williams finished with 12 points, going 5-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range, while fellow guard Shanice Davis added 10 points, five assists and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Brianna Freeman led NM State with five rebounds.
After the Lobos marked the first two points of the game, NM State ran off seven-straight to take an early 7-2 lead.
A 3-pointer by Williams kept the Aggies in the lead at 13-9 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the half. But the four-point lead turned into a three-point deficit after UNM went on a 7-0 run to take a 16-13 lead.
NM State struck right back, however, and retook the lead at 18-16. After a couple of Lobo free throws the two rivals were knotted up at 18 with exactly seven minutes left in the half.
The teams fought back-and-forth throughout the latter portion of the half, but Weber’s second 3-pointer of the half with 37 seconds left gave the Aggies a slim 31-27 lead heading into the locker room.
Weber led all scorers with 11 points in the half. The NM State high-pressure defense caused 17 UNM turnovers in the first half.
As in the first half, the Aggies had an early run in the second half, this time outscoring the Lobos 8-2 to kick off the final frame, and after another 3-pointer by Weber the NM State lead had grown to double-digits for the first time at 39-29 with just over 17 minutes left.
With the lead still at 10, the Aggies ran off nine-straight points in a span of over two minutes that concluded with a Williams’ 3-pointer. After a UNM bucket, Weber hit on yet another shot from beyond the arc that put the NM State lead at 20, 56-36, midway through the final half.
Weber’s shot seemed to put the final nail in the Lobo coffin, but just as the Aggies had done just a bit earlier, UNM embarked on a 9-0 run in just over two minutes to cut the NM State lead 56-45 with 8:20 left.
For the next three minutes neither team could find the bucket and the lead remained at 11 until, surprise surprise, Weber once again came calling. Weber’s final 3-pointer of the game was shortly followed by fellow preseason All-WAC member Abby Scott’s only trifecta of the day as the lead grew to 62-45 with 5:38 left in the game.
The Lobos would come within 13 points with under three minutes left, but a couple of breakaway buckets by Williams would seal the game for the Aggies. UNM would sink a couple of shots from beyond the arc in the final 30 seconds to cut the final result to 70-59.
“We worked, we executed, we executed down the stretch and made some big shots,” Trakh said. “We haven’t beaten UNM since 2007, this is our rivalry. The team stepped up in a rivalry game and got it done.”
The Aggies now have a week off before facing North Dakota State inside the Pan Am Center next Sunday, Dec. 14, beginning at 2 p.m. (MT).
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