The Lobos’ game Saturday against Pepperdine was all about defense, as they used their defense and energy to improve to 6-3 on the season by winning 60-52. The Lobos controlled the first half, holding Pepperdine to 15 first half points and limiting Pepperdine to just 16.67% (4-24) shooting. The Lobos shot over 40% in each half to control the game from the opening tip. If there’s one thing that the Lobos didn’t do well in the game, it was shooting 17-34 from the free throw line. Pepperdine also struggled from the line shooting 19-36, so both teams have to feel like they left something on the table there.

The key to the game was Cherise Beynon winning the matchup between her and Pepperdine’s best player, Erica Egwumike. Benyon limited Egwumike to 11 points (shooting 2-9), 4 rebounds and only one assist, all of which are below her season averages. Beynon finished her game with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. The leading scorer for the Lobos was Khadijah Shumpert, who finished with 22 points (shooting 7-8) and 8 rebounds for the game. Shumpert was dominant in the second half, scoring 15 points and 6 rebounds to help close out the game for the Lobos.

Players of the Games:

As with the Men’s Team we will give three Players of the Game with the same breakdown as the Men’s Team. (3 points for first, 2 points for second, and 1 point for third).

1. Cherise Beynon (16 points on the season): I could have easily gone with Khadijah Shumpert here, but I will go with Beynon because of the matchup that she had to face and the impact that she had in all parts of the game. If Beynon had shot better from the floor in the game, this pick wouldn’t even be a question.
2. Khadijah Shumpert (13 points on the season): I could flip these two at some point, as Shumpert was outstanding in the second half and had a great game overall, finishing with 22 points and 8 rebounds. If the Lobos can get Shumpert to be good to great every game, the Lobos have a chance to win a lot of games this year. One thing that has me worried about Shumpert is her tendency to find herself in foul trouble, which can really hurt the team.
3. Laneah Bryan (3 points on the season): While her counting numbers don’t stand out, finishing with 4 points, 2 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal, she ran the point for 26 minutes and gave the playmakers a chance to make plays. I like the attack that the Lobos are able to have with the two PG starting lineup, as putting Beynon off the ball gives the Lobos a lot of ways to attack opponents’ defenses.

Random Thoughts:

• It appears that Coach Sanchez is starting to settle into a rotation, with Beynon, Shumpert, Owens, and now Bryan playing well over 20 minutes a game. Recently, Whitney Johnson has started at center the last few games, but Coach Sanchez still has a lot of options on the front line with Jaisa Nunn, Kianna Keller, Alexa Chavez and Josie Greenwood.
• While the freshmen have been productive so far this season and have had some exciting moments, we must remind ourselves that they will have their share of ups and downs. However, by the end of the year, I think that the freshman have a chance to be a huge part of this team.
• So far this season, the Lobos are 1-3 in games where they have allowed more than 70 points, but they are 6-2 in games in which they have score 60 points.
• The first and third quarter have been good for the Lobos are, as they are outscoring teams 324-248 which is +76. The Lobos are also outscoring opponents in the second quarter 139-132, so the issues have lied in the fourth quarter. The Lobos need to find a way to close games out, as they have been outscored in the fourth quarter 175-152.

Next Up:

The Lobos head to Big Ten country to play an early game on Wednesday against Minnesota. It will be a homecoming game for Khadijah Shumpert and Kianna Keller, so hopefully there will be a good Lobo contingent in the stands. It should be a good road test for the Lobos and it will be interesting to see how they do against a Big Ten team. The game will be at 11 AM MT and will be available through BTN2Go (Internet Feed) for free if you have the BTN. We will have our preview for this game on Tuesday.