Khadijah Shumpert wanted to make the most of her homecoming game, and boy did she ever. When the Lobos went on the road to play the University of Minnesota, many didn’t expect the Lobos to go on the road and beat a very solid team, much less by 19 points. The Lobos had control for most of the game and every time they took a punch from the Gophers, the Lobos had the answer. They did this by sticking to their game plan, running great offense, and forcing the Gophers into tougher shots then they wanted to. With the 72-53 road win, the Lobos improved to 7-3 and they now have the chance to finish the non-conference schedule 8-3 if they can beat NMSU on Sunday.

There are plenty of takeaways from this game for the Lobos:

Shutdown Defense:

When scouting the Gophers, the thing that stood out the most to me is how potent their offensive attack is, with the leading scoring in the country, and another 20-point scorer and a senior point guard who was averaging near a triple double. The Lobos defense was up to the task and dominated the game on the defensive side of the ball, holding the Gophers to 30% from the floor and 20% from three. It is very likely that the 53 points scored by the Gophers will be their lowest total for the season. The Lobos did allow the Gophers two leading scorers to combine for 38 points, but the Lobos made them do it on 12-43 combined shooting, which is fantastic. In my opinion, the biggest defensive win for the Lobos was how they shut down the Gophers senior point guard, limiting her to 2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and forcing her into 5 turnovers. With the Lobos holding the Gophers to 53 points, this marks the third straight game and sixth time overall that the Lobos held their opponents to under 60 points this season. If the defense can keep this up, this team has a chance to be a very special team.

Share the Rock

One of the most impressive things for the Lobos on offense during this game was how well they shared the ball. The Lobos finished with 22 assists on their 28 made baskets. Early in the game, the Lobos had assisted on 12 of their first 13 baskets, which is a very impressive stat. That shows how well you were moving the ball and setting up your teammate to have a great shot. All three of the starting guards ended up with at least 4 assists on the game, with Bryce Owens having 7, Cherise Beynon with 6, and Laneah Bryan with 4. If the Lobos can continue to average 16 assists a game, it will allow the offense to continue to get better.

Didn’t I See This Before?

In the second quarter, Shumpert scored the first two baskets for the Lobos in the first minute of action. To start the third quarter, Shumpert again scored the first two baskets for the Lobos. Finally, to start the fourth quarter, Shumpert didn’t stop at two baskets, she added a third. It was very clear that Coach Sanchez saw a matchup that she liked and attacked the Gophers with her best player and it worked to perfection. Shumpert’s production in the first few minutes of these three quarters gave the Lobos the advantage and helped Shumpert get to her 27 points on the day.

Free Throws

While the Lobos didn’t shoot very many free throws in the game, they made the most of the opportunities, as they were 8-9, with Shumpert going 7-7. After early season struggles at the line, the Lobos are now at 62.1% for the season. The number should continue to climb and if the Lobos can get the percentage up closer to 70%, it will only help the Lobos become a championship team that they want to be.

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. Khadijah Shumpert (16 points on the season): This may go down as the easiest decision for this spot this season, as Shumpert may have played the best game we have seen out of any Lobo in a few years. She finished the game with 27 points (10-13 FG, 7-7 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. In Shumpert’s last two games, she has averaged 24.5 points and 8 rebounds. If she can continue to play at this level, it could make the Lobos the favorite to win the MW.
2. Cherise Beynon (18 points on the season): For the second straight game, Beynon was tasked with a very tough matchup, this time against the leading scorer in the country. For the second straight game, Beynon won the matchup. Beynon finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and only 1 turnover. If Beynon continues to play like this, the Lobos may end up with two players on the first team all-conference.
3. Bryce Owens (4 points on the season): The Lobo senior point guard stepped up to the challenge, facing the Gophers’ senior point guard, and won the matchup. Owens finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and only 2 turnovers in her 33 minutes of action. This was a very impressive game by Owens, which bodes well for the Lobos the rest of the season. With her game, all three players of the game won their matchups, which led the Lobos to a blowout win.

Up Next:

The Lobos return home for their last non-conference game, hosting NMSU on Sunday afternoon for Pack the PIT. Tickets are only 2 dollars, so make plans to attend the game and help the Lobos get revenge against the Aggies. Look for the Lobos to play a lot better than their showing in Las Cruses, where they lost 78-59.