Lobos pull rout in Italy tour opener

VICENZA, Italy — Clovis native Antiesha Brown earned game MVP honors with 16 points and six steals, and the University of New Mexico got its tour of Italy off to a rousing start with a 74-37 victory over AS Vicenza Thursday night in the NCAA Vicenza Tour exhibition.

After the squads were tied 9-9, Brown had nine points and three steals in a 15-2 run that tilted the scales.

“I was waiting for this since we got off the plane,” Brown said. “Italy is nice, but I’m a competitor and I was ready to compete as soon as we touched the ground.

“I think we played fairly well; we have a lot of things we have to work on.”

Alexa Chavez had 11 points and eight rebounds for UNM, which faces Adriatic Sea Sirens in Pesaro at 6 p.m. on Saturday (10 a.m. MDT).

The game was played under FIBA rules, with four 10-minute quarters and a 24-second shot clock.

Coach Yvonne Sanchez said there was understandable rust, given the overseas trip and a schedule that didn’t allow for practice since Monday in Albuquerque. But she was happy with how aggressive the team was and how well some of the Lobos newcomers played.

“I love the way our kids played; we have to clean up some things but we haven’t practiced in three or four days,” she said. “I love the way the freshmen played, but I was really impressed with Bryce (Owens) and Tiesh (Brown). They really got the ball rolling.

“All of them did a nice job; they all got out there and played. I think all of them scored. They all got out there and did some things.”