The calling card for the Lobos team on Wednesday Night was their defense. After giving up 90 points in their loss Saturday against USC, the Lobos only gave up 63 points to Nicholls State, including only 28 points in the second half. Nicholls State was held to 32.8% from the field in the game and 25% in the second half. However, one thing the Lobos need to find is reliable shooting from a night in, night out basis. The Lobos struggled from three in the game going 6-29 from three, which is a sub-par 20.7%. The Lobos need to get to where they are shooting around 35% from range as a team to become a really good offensive team.

Game Recap

The game didn’t start out like Coach Neal and the rest of the coaching staff wanted it to, as the Lobos allowed Nicholls State to get back in the game after the Lobos jumped out to an early lead. The Lobos struggled to find great team energy in the first half until Joe Furstinger came into the game and had a defensive sequence where he blocked back-to-back shots and brought the Lobo faithful to a standing ovation. Furstinger’s energy on the defensive side of the ball gave the rest of his team energy and the Lobos were able to go into half time with a 39-35 lead. For the second straight game, the starting backcourt of the Lobos struggled finding the basket in the first half, going a combined 3-14 from the floor and 2-11 from three. Elijah Brown still ended up leading the Lobos in the first half, but that was by getting to the line and hitting all six of his free throws. So, even thout Brown didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half he still had a very good first half stat line of 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. For the second straight game, Obij Aget had a great first half, scoring 9 points and collecting 7 rebounds.

The second half was all about defense for the Lobos, shutting down Nicholls State from the floor and completely controlling the second half. When you limit a team to shooting just 25% in a half, you give yourself a chance to build a good lead and then be able to work on different things. Elijah and Cullen both had better shooting second halves, combining to shoot 7-16 from the floor and 2-7 from three. Most importantly, they didn’t turn the ball over in the second half. One of the biggest bright spots for me in the second half was the way the Lobos took care of the basketball as a team, turning the ball over only twice and dishing out ten assists in the half.

Players of the Game

As before, I’m choosing my top three players of the game and giving them points (3 for first, 2 for second, and 1 for third).

1. Elijah Brown (10 points on the season):It wasn’t Brown’s best shooting performance, but he still had the most impact on this game. That said, if Brown had hit two more of his three pointers, this would have been a game on par with his NMSU game. Having a line of 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, two steals and only two turnovers from a starting guard position? That is impressive.
2. Tim Williams (9 points on the season):After Tim’s great game at USC, this might have looked like a somewhat disappointing game, but it really wasn’t. He finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the game, collecting his second double-double of the season. One thing that I have liked about him this season is how consistent he is. You know that you are going to get at least some points and some rebounds from him, but he is always capable of having games like his USC game, where he he’ll pick up 25 points and 15 rebounds.
3. Joe Furstinger (1 point on the season): This was Joe’s best performance as a Lobo and a really good sign for the team as a whole. He needed to step up after Devon’s career ended and he has done so these first three games. Joe’s numbers really didn’t jump off the board except on the defensive side of the ball, where he had three blocks and two steals. Joe will need to bring his energy every game and I expect we see him have an all-around breakout game in the not too distant future.

Scattered Thoughts

• The rotation is still a work in progress and the Lobos need players to earn their spots on the team, sooner rather than later. If the Lobos are able to find their 8 to 10 man rotation soon, it allows the coaches and players to work within their set rotations and simply have more consistency.
• It may take a little time, but Jordan Hunter hitting another shot in his limited minutes shows that he can be a threat to score the basketball. The Lobos need a threat of scoring from the back up point guard spot to make it where the opponent has to focus on stopping all five Lobos, and he certainly has the potential to be that guy. All he needs to do is show that he has a solid understanding of how to run Coach Neal’s admittedly complicated offense. I think he will fairly soon and once conference play starts, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a lot of run from Hunter.
• I was impressed to see that Cullen and Elijah didn’t allow sub-par shooting performances change how they played the game. The starting backcourt ended up with ten assists and only three turnovers, which is a great ratio to get out of the guys who touch the ball the most. If they are able to keep their combined turnovers below five, the Lobos should win a lot of games.

Up Next

The Lobos return to action Tuesday Night at WisePies Arena AKA The PIT against Oral Roberts. It will be their last game before their toughest stretch of the non-conference schedule, when they play at Purdue and then host Northern Iowa and NMSU in consecutive games starting this next Saturday.