GALLUP — What looked like a long night for Gallup turned sharply in the Lady Bengals’ favor after halftime, as they delivered a blistering second-half surge to defeat Albuquerque Academy 58-45 on Monday night.
Gallup outscored the Chargers 41-21 over the final two quarters, forcing foul trouble, speeding up the pace, and wearing down a short Academy rotation that saw four of five starters foul out before the final buzzer.
Senior guard Maria Nez turned in a remarkable performance, scoring all 23 of her points in the second half while shooting 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Fellow senior guard Mykeia Vicenti added 11 points, also finishing 8 of 9 at the stripe. Junior Kayden Tsosie chipped in 13 points, nine of them after halftime…