ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Dec. 10, 2023) … A balanced scoring attack by New Mexico (8-3) lifted the Lobos to a 68-55 victory over Hampton (0-7) at The Pit. The Lobos clicked on 11 three-pointers and tallied 18 points inside the paint.
But Hampton refused to folk and outscored New Mexico, 35-25, and outrebounded the Lobos, 23-17, in the second half after trailing 43-21 at intermission.
Both teams struggled in the opening minutes of the game as the two teams combined for two turnovers, six missed shots and two fouls in the first two minutes of the contest. The Lobos went on to score the first 12 points of the game before Hampton's Camryn Hill answered with a basket with 4:33 left in the opening quarter. New Mexico led, 21-7, at the end of the first period.
Hampton's offense got untracked in the second quarter with Hill scoring eight points but New Mexico's lead grew to 43-21 at intermission. New Mexico's Paula Reus has 12 first-half points as the Lobos made eight three-pointers in the opening half of play. Hill scored 10 points in the first half and teammate Aisha Dabo added six with Arlisha Boston and Amyah Reaves scoring one basket apiece.
Hampton played without its second-leading scorer, Cheyenne Talbot, in the second half due to injury. Despite the loss of Talbot, Hampton turned up the defensive heat. The Lady Pirates limited the Lobos to just one field goal and eight points in the third quarter to close the gap to 51-33.
The Lady Pirates continued their comeback and closed to within, 59-46, on a field goal by Hill midway through the final quarter. Hampton outscored the Lobos, 22-17, in the final period with Arlisha Boston (7 points), Hill (6), and Casey Miller (5) leading the way.
Hill finished with 20 points to lead all scorers and Boston had her best game with 11 points and a game-best 10 boards. In all, seven Hampton players scored in the game. Hampton's bench chipped in a season-best 25 points with Hampton's four freshmen seeing 81 minutes of quality playing time.
New Mexico had balanced scoring with four players reaching double figure scoring including Reus (14), Charlotte Kohl (14), Anyah Augmon (11), and Mackenzie Curtis (11).
The game marked Hampton's second visit to The Pit. Hampton played Kentucky in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Albuquerque, losing a heart-breaker to the Wildcats, 70-66, in overtime.
The Lady Pirates experienced a 13-hour trip from Virginia to New Mexico with airline flights from Norfolk to Nashville to Austin and then on to Albuquerque with two time zone changes along the way.
Hampton takes the week off for final exams before returning to action on Dec. 16 at George Washington in a non-conference tilt.
