RENO, Nev. - Nevada's first-half blitz stunned New Mexico, and the Wolf Pack withstood the Lobos' rally to capture a critical 77-70 victory Saturday at Lawlor Events Center.

The win pulled Nevada (16-8, 8-4 MW) to within a game of the Lobos (20-7, 11-3 MW) in the loss column, for second place in the Mountain West. The Wolf Pack gets back on the road for a quick turnaround, playing at Fresno State Monday at 6 p.m.

The Pack shot 63.6 percent over the first half, opening up a 49-26 lead. Da'Ja Hamilton hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the half, with Nia Alexander (12 points) and Lexie Givens (10) also red-hot, as the latter two went a combined 11-for-14 from the field.

For the game, Hamilton finished with 21 points for her fifth 20-point game of the campaign, leading four Wolf Pack players in double figures. Alexander, who finished with 14 points, also hit a personal milestone, eclipsing the 1,000 career-point mark.

Hamilton, Alexander, and Amaya West (13 points on the day) combined to fire Nevada out of the gates and to a 13-0 lead within the first four and a half minutes. Givens and Alexander then combined to punish the Lobos inside, scoring the next eight Wolf Pack points before Hamilton drained her second triple of the quarter as Nevada took a 24-11 lead after one.

Another Hamilton triple got Nevada to its largest lead of the day at 45-21 with two minutes left in the first half, and Givens would cap the half with a bucket, as Nevada shot 73.3 percent (11-for-15) in the second quarter alone.

But New Mexico, which showed signs of snapping out of its fog in the second quarter, shooting 54.5 percent in the frame, chipped away in the second half thanks in part to a renewed defensive effort. Nevada went scoreless for the opening six minutes, 22 seconds of the third quarter, as West's layup stopped an 11-0 Lobo run. New Mexico got a balanced effort over the run, led by Jaedyn De La Cerda, who finished the game with 15 points.

LaTascya Duff, who led New Mexico with 20 points, hit a pair of free throws to pull the Lobos within 10 at 54-44 with 1:27 left in the third. But the Pack would answer by the buzzer, as buckets from Alexander and Aly Jimenez got the lead back to 14, entering the final frame.

There, Hamilton opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, putting the Pack ahead 61-44. The Pack offense would hit a small snag, again, scoring just six points for more than four minutes late in the fourth, as New Mexico pulled to within four at 69-65 with 45 seconds to play behind LaTora Duff and Shaiquel MacGruder.

The Pack would settle it at the line, however, as Kylie Jimenez would go 4-for-4 from the stripe the rest of the way, and Hamilton would hit a pair to hold off the Lobos.