ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It was a case of the teacher outlasting the student. Mike Bradbury’s New Mexico Lobos defeated Valerie King’s Texas A&M Commerce Lions 75-74 Wednesday night. King was once on the other side, serving as an assistant at New Mexico under Bradbury for seven years. King’s Director of Operations, Jaedyn De La Cerda, played for Bradbury at New Mexico from 2017 to 2022.
The familiarity of the program was obvious as the two teams battled from the start of the game until the end. “We run the exact same offense,” said UNM head coach Mike Bradbury. “We run the exact same defense. So, I mean, it was just going to come down to who could do it better.
The Lions, who missed on the final shot of the game, led by as much as five points in the fourth quarter, but Nyah Wilson took over for the Lobos, scoring 15 points in the quarter and 22 for the game. Lobos center Charlotte Kohl dominated the glass, pulling down 20 rebounds to go along with 14 points. Two other Lobos finished in double figures with Aniyah Augmon scoring 16 points. Paula Rues had 11 points and 8 rebounds for the Lobos.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” said UNM center Charlotte Kohl. “We knew it was going to be hard, but we really tried to have a positive attitude and be confident in each other, confident on defense and get the last stop.”
The Lions were led by Mary Delgado’s 19 points. The loss was the first for the Lions this season as they dropped to 2-1. The Lobos improved to 4-0 and will play Montana State Thursday, on the road, at the Cancun Challenge. The game has a 7 p.m. Mountain time start.
