Women’s Basketball vs. San Diego State Preview

by Zach

The Lobos (11-9, 4-5) look to rebound after a disappointing showing in Las Vegas against UNLV, where they lost 57-48. The 48 points scored continues the disappointing offense that the Lobos have had for much of the season. The only bright spot for the Lobos was freshman post Jaisa Nunn, who finished the game with 14 points (7-10 FGs) and grabbed 9 rebounds. The Lobos only shot 30.6% from the floor, which won’t win many games. The continued struggle on offense from the Lobos has brought up questions about the team and the expectations that the team had at the beginning of the year. While I do think the season has been a disappointment so far, I do believe that there is still a chance for this team to get better and show promise for next season. Unfortunately, although it’s not impossible, at this point I think that it is a long shot for the Lobos to make a run in Mountain West Tournament.

A welcomed sight for the Lobos are the struggling SDSU Aztecs(6-15, 1-9), who come to The Pit tomorrow. The Aztecs being second-to-last in the conference is very surprising, as they, like the Lobos, had much higher expectations. This game could end up being a great thing for the Lobos, as if the Lobos are able play well and take care of the Aztecs early in the game, it could give them some confidence going into the last part of the conference schedule. If the Lobos are not able to take care of the Aztecs, we may see a real disappointing end to the season. However, I do have confidence that the coaching staff and players will be ready for this game.

The most telling thing in this game will be the offense of efficiency for the Lobos. They are shooting only 37.9% from the field, 28.9% from the three-point line, and 63.9% from the free throw line, all of which are lower than expected. They’ll need to improve in each area if the Lobos want to finish the season out strong. When the Lobos have been efficient this season was when they were playing great team offense and making the pass to the open player. It is apparent that changes need to be made to make the team offense better, whether it is finding a better scheme or finding the right combinations of players.

SDSU Aztecs

The Aztecs are led by third-year Head Coach Stacie Terry and are coming off a 12-19 overall record last season, including an 8-10 record in conference play. While the men’s program at SDSU has become a conference power, the women’s team hasn’t been able to reach that same level. While the support for the men’s team is fantastic, the support for the women’s team is what the men’s support was before Coach Fisher built the men’s program. That is, nonexistent. Coach Terry is in a position to build a good program, but it will take time, leaving this year to be a long season for the Aztecs.

The Aztecs are led on the court by sophomore guard McKynzie Fort, who is averaging 14.1 points, 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and just over 2 steals per game. It is important for Cherise Beynon to control the impact that Fort has on this game. If Beynon is able to make the Aztecs play through someone else, the odds for the Lobos winning this game improve greatly. Beside Fort, the Aztecs have no players scoring in double figures, no players with over 4.1 rebounds per game, and no players with over 2.6 assist per game. Looking at the Aztec stats, the Lobos should be able to win this game going away.

Team Stat Comparison

  • Points Per Game: Lobos 63.2; Aztecs 57.9
  • Points Allowed Per Game: Lobos 59.8; Aztecs 65
  • Field Goal Percentage: Lobos 37.9%; Aztecs 37.2%
  • Three Point Percentage: Lobos 28.9%; Aztecs 28.1%
  • Free Throw Percentage: Lobos 63.9%; Aztecs 63.7%
  • Defensive Field Goal Percentage: Lobos 37%; Aztecs 43.9%
  • Defensive Three Point Percentage: Lobos 30.9%; Aztecs 34%
  • Rebounds Per Game: Lobos 40.7; Aztecs 32.8
  • Assists Per Game: Lobos 13.6; Aztecs 10.7
  • Turnovers Per Game: Lobos 15.3; Aztecs 14.5
  • Turnovers Forced Per Game: Lobos 17.1; Aztecs 16.5

Both teams have struggled on offense this season, but an advantage that the Lobos have is on defense, where the Aztecs are allowing opponents to shoot 43.9% from the floor.

Matchup to Watch

Without question, the matchup to watch in this game is the battle between guards Cherise Beynon and McKynzie Fort. It is important for Beynon to not allow Fort to take over the game, letting the Aztecs to stay in the game. If Beynon is able to win this matchup, it is hard to see the Aztecs winning the game.

Picks

I went 3-2 on my picks Wednesday to improve to 38-16 on the season. Here are my picks for Saturday’s games:

UNM vs. SDSU

USU vs. WYO

BSU vs. AFA

CSU at Nevada

FSU at UNLV

Conference Standings

  • CSU 9-0
  • FSU 8-1
  • BSU 8-2
  • UNLV 6-4
  • SJSU 6-5
  • USU 5-5
  • UNM 4-5
  • WYO 4-7
  • Nevada 3-6
  • SDSU 1-8
  • AFA 0-9

Prediction

This is the first meeting between the two teams this season and neither team is having the season they were hoping to up to this point. With that being said, the Lobos are the better team and should have no problem beating the Aztecs, especially as I think Khadijah Shumpert should have a big game against the Aztec defense. I put the odds of the Lobos winning this game at 85%, with the final score being 67-55.

Game Info

Who: New Mexico (11-9, 4-5) vs. San Diego State (6-15, 1-9)

Where: WisePies Arena AKA The PIT, Albuquerque, NM

When: Saturday February 6th, 2 PM MT

Radio: 610 AM

Stream: Campus Insiders