Lobos bounce Jags from women’s NIT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—New Mexico center Angela Hartill outscored Southern 7-2 to start the first round of the women’s NIT and teammate Amy Beggin scored a game-high 15 points to lead the Lobos to a 72-44 win Wednesday night.
UNM (23-10) will face Nebraska (15-15) next Wednesday in the second round. Southern finished the season with a 16-14 record.
Hartill had a game-high eight rebounds to go along with her with 11 points. Deidra Jackson and Tiffany Foster scored eight points each for the Jaguars.
The Lobos were coming off a close loss to Utah in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference, but New Mexico coach Don Flanagan said the team is “a rebound kind of team” and was fired up despite the disappointment of failing to make the NCAA Tournament.
“We’ve lost our share of games, but we’re still a pretty good team,” Flanagan said.
The Lobos got off to an 11-2 start and pushed the lead to 24-11 when Georonika Jackson hit a 3-pointer and Beggin finished off a drive and foul with a free throw at the 7:20 mark. The foul shot marked her 1,000th career point.
“It’s kind of special,” she said of the milestone. “But it’s much more important to win.”
New Mexico connected on its first 11 free throws and finished 15-of-19 for the game. Beggin led the way, making all nine of her of foul shots.
“It felt good to get back on the court and get another game in The Pit and win,” she said.
Southern didn’t shoot its first free throw until 6:54 remaining in the second half when Ashley Augerson was fouled on a drive to the basket. She made 1-of-2 from the line, but the Jaguars trailed 63-36 by then.
Southern coach Sandy Pugh and the Jaguars left The Pit almost immediately after the game and were unavailable for comment.
While the NIT may not carry the cache of the NCAA Tournament, Flanagan said it’s still important to his players.
“We start next season as soon as this season ends,” he said. “If we keep winning and keep playing, that’s more experience for them.”