WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: A Dominant Team Effort Leads to 83-65 Win Over Western New Mexico
In a dominant performance Saturday night in the Pete P. Gallego Center, the Lobos picked up their first conference win of the season in a 83-65 showing against Western New Mexico University.
>>HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Mustangs were the first to score, rushing out to a 2-0 lead only nine seconds into the game. The Lobos responded viciously, scoring 11 unanswered points, capped off by a
Caitlyn Corley jumper with 5:30 left in the first quarter. The Lobos kept the lead for the remainder of the contest.
The Lobos got out to a commanding 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter thanks to a layup by the game's leading scorer, TiMaiya Mims, and a series of
Kyra Taylor free throws.
The dominance continued as the Lobos extended their lead to 14 in the opening minute of the second quarter off of back-to-back layups by
Cheyanne Bonilla. The Mustangs began to find their way back into the game, cutting the Lobos' lead to six with just under three minutes left in the quarter. The Lobos would claw right back to a 12-point lead by the end of the second quarter following a layup by
Maddie Rhea.
Melody Martinez also scored five of her 12 points for the game in the second quarter.
The third quarter was no different from the first two, as the Lobos' lead fluctuated throughout. The quarter was kicked off by a beautiful three-pointer by Bonilla. The rest of the Lobos' scoring for the quarter can be summed up with
Victoria Aguayo layups, Corley jumpers, and Martinez free throws scattered throughout the remainder of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was when the Lobos really laid it on thick. Following an early 4-0 run by the Mustangs to begin the quarter, the Lobos would go on a 12-0 run of their own, consisting of free throws by
Sophiya Bustillos, Mims, and Taylor, layups by Mims and Aguayo, a three-pointer by Mims, and it was all topped off by a free throw by
Victoria Aguayo with 4:47 left in the contest. This run gave the Lobos a game-high 21-point lead over WNMU, and the Lobos never had less than a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.
With two free throws by Bustillos, the Lobos finished the game with an 18-point lead and a decisive victory.
>> CONFERENCE RECORDS: Sul Ross State (1-1); Western New Mexico (0-1)
>> WHAT THE COACH SAID:
"Everybody was able to contribute. I'm very proud of all of our players. We shot the ball really well, and [Western New Mexico's players] were huge! We shared the ball and played together. It was a very good team effort. TiMaiya [Mims] had 17 points and six assists, and then how about Cheyanne? Cheyanne had ten assists and nine points. Everybody has been contributing… We're not that tall, as you know. I hope our players can step up and rebound. I think if we are able to rebound, I think we are going to be alright."
– Head Coach EJ Smith
>> WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:
"Our press was working for us. We forced a lot of turnovers and being aggressive defensively. We also shot 50% in the first half. The key to our victory was our turnover to steals ratio, as well as our shooting. I hope this brings us together as a team and gives us some momentum going forward, considering we are coming into this conference as underdogs." –
Caitlyn Corley
>> GAME NOTES:
- TiMaiya Mims led Sul Ross in scoring with 17 points and was also second in rebounds with 8.
- Melody Martinez led the team with nine rebounds and scored a respectable 12 points.
- Caitlyn Corley scored 11 points, shooting 83 percent from the field.
- Cheyanne Bonilla led the team in assists with ten, and steals with four.
- Sophiya Bustillos scored seven points and a perfect 4/4 from the free throw line.
- The Lobos led by as much as 21 points in their victory over the Mustangs.
>> UP NEXT: The Lobos take on Northern New Mexico at the Pete P. Gallego Center at 5 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
