The Lobos (8-7, 4-1) dropped their first Mountain West game of the season on Wednesday at UNLV, thanks to some offensive struggles. They scored only 42 points in the loss, shooting 21.9% from the floor and didn’t hit a three-pointer (0-19) in the game. Losing at UNLV isn’t a terrible loss, even with the Rebels being short-handed for the matchup, and one has to think that they won’t go 0-19 from the three point line regularly. Even with that loss, the Lobos are still in a good position in the conference standings, and have two very important home games this week against two of the top teams in CSU and BSU. The first game is the annual Pack The PIT promotion game against the CSU Rams (11-5, 3-1), who went a perfect 21-0 against Mountain West teams last season, sweeping the Regular and Tournament Championships. The Lobo offense will once again be tested, this time against the best defensive team in the conference. For the Lobos to give themselves the best chance to win, it may be best suited to slow things down a little and make sure to get the ball inside to Rachelle van der Keijl and Jaisa Nunn.
Colorado State Team Stats:
The Rams have a very interesting dynamic with the reigning Player of the Year in Ellen Nystrom, who is again a favorite to reclaim the honor, and a team built around her that is all about balance and efficiency.
| Rams | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 66.4 | 52.98 |
| Field Goal % | 42.3% (392/926) | 32.7% (292/892) |
| 3 Point % | 33.8% (120/355) | 27.8% (100/360) |
| Free Throw % | 71.0% (159/224) | 64.0% (153/239) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 24.5/57.88 | 18.25/55.75 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 7.5/22.19 | 6.25/22.5 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 9.94/14.0 | 9.56/14.94 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 38.1 | 37.5 |
| Assists Per Game | 14.3 | 9.8 |
| Turnovers | 13.1 | 16.6 |
| Steals Per Game | 9.6 | 6.3 |
| Blocks Per Game | 3.9 | 1.3 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 15.75 | 14.06 |
- Nystrom is the Rams’ best player, averaging 16.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.6 assist and just over 2 steals a contest. Nystrom can beat you from every area on the offensive side of the ball, as she is shooting 44% from the floor, 36.4% from three, and 82.4% from the free throw line.
- Rams have 7 players after Nystrom between 4.0-10.7 points and 6 players averaging at least 1 assist a game. Every Ram is averaging at least 1 rebound a game.
- You must make the most of any defensive miscue the Rams have, because they make very few during a game.
Lobo Team Stats:
| Lobos | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 69.3 | 62.1 |
| Field Goal % | 38.7% (372/973) | 34.4% (354/1030) |
| 3 Point % | 28.9% (104/360) | 30.6% (99/324) |
| Free Throw % | 60.0% (180/300) | 70.1% (124/177) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 24.8/64.87 | 23.6/68.67 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 6.93/24 | 6.6/21.6 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 12.0/20 | 8.27/11.8 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 47.6 | 42.5 |
| Assists Per Game | 15.0 | 13.8 |
| Turnovers | 14.7 | 13.0 |
| Steals Per Game | 6.5 | 7.1 |
| Blocks Per Game | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 13.73 | 17.67 |
News and Notes:
- The Lobos took a hit when Emily Lines tore her ACL in practice last week, which takes away probably their best 3-point shooter. Lines was starting to get more opportunities and was making the most of them before this injury. Our thoughts and prayers are with Emily as she goes through surgery and recovery.
- With the Lobos losing Lines for the rest of the season, the Lobos are down to 10 healthy players, which is odd, considering Women’s College Basketball allows for 15 available scholarships. The Lobos only have 13 on scholarship this season and now have Lines out to go along with the two players sitting out as transfers. The Lobos need to avoid any other injury this season, or depth could become a huge issue.
- The Lobos announced that they will be playing Northern New Mexico on Sunday January 29th at 2 PM, this will make up for the game against Eastern Illinois that was cancelled earlier this season.
Players of the Game:
UNLV Game: In a game where Jaisa Nunn and Rachelle van der Keijl combined for 27 of the teams 42 points, 23 of the teams 49 rebounds, and shot a combine 11-25 from the floor compared to 3 of 39 for the rest of the team, I will be giving both Nunn and van der Keijl 3 points for this game.
Jaisa Nunn (16 points on the season)
Rachelle van der Keijl (24 points on the season)
I.B. Luc’s MW Picks:
Here are my picks for Saturday’s games. I’ve gone 15-4 so far this season, so I’m hoping to keep that momentum going. The team in bold is my pick for that game.
BSU vs. FSU
SDSU at USU
SJSU vs. AFA
UNM vs. CSU
WYO at NV
Mountain West Standings:
- WYO 4-0
- UNM 4-1
- CSU 3-1
- FSU 3-2
- UNLV 3-2
- BSU 2-2
- SDSU 2-2
- SJSU 2-2
- USU 1-4
- AFA 0-4
- NV 0-4
As it stands right now, there is a clear bottom three in the league with USU, AFA and NV. I think it is safe to say that WYO and CSU will be in the title conversation, while teams that could join them there soon would be UNM, FSU, BSU and UNLV.
Game Prediction:
This matchup against CSU has the makings for a classic Pack the PIT game, especially with a hungry Lobo team looking to prove they belong in the top tier of the conference. The Lobos will have the crowd behind them and will be looking to get the bad taste of Wednesday’s game out of their mouth. The Lobos need to hit a healthy number of 3-pointers in this game to have a good shot of winning. I give the Lobos a 44% chance of winning this game, and I have them winning a close 63-61 contest. I look for Cherise Beynon to have a big game in the matchup against Nystrom.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos (8-7, 4-1) vs. Colorado State Rams (11-5, 3-1)
When: Saturday, January 14th, 3 PM MT
Where: WisePies Arena AKA The PIT, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Steam: Mountain West Network
Radio: 610 AM