The Lobos extended their win streak to eight tonight with an 85-53 win over Sacramento State. The Lobos are now 9-1 and will look to close their non-conference schedule 11-1 with their games against Stephen F Austin (at home) and Long Beach State (on the road). There is plenty to talk about with this team right now, so here are my reactions from tonight’s game:
The Lobo defense has been really good lately, as they have held their last five opponents to under 60 points. That is extremely impressive considering the pace that the Lobos play, and even more so when you also throw a team like Sac State into the mix. Sac State came into the game averaging well over 80 points per game and were held to just 53 points. What I was able to gather from my seat was that the Lobos pressured Sac State and limited their great looks from 3. If the Lobos were able to get 8+ seconds into the shot clock on defense, Sac State was going to have a difficult time scoring. In fact, the Lobos were able to force a number of shot clock violations in this game. The Lobos have the ability to become a great defensive team and they are starting to show what they are able to do.
Nike McClure said that she was going to throw a Block Party tonight and she did just that, recording 5 blocks. McClure has been a huge weapon for the Lobos this season with her ability to not only block shots, but also by changing shots and getting her hands in the passing lanes. This was something the Lobos missed last year and it is a great sign of what McClure has done so far this season. Also, it was nice to see McClure score 8 points tonight, even if it isn’t something that she puts her focus on.
Jayla Everett and Aisia Robertson attacking the basket was a huge part of the outcome tonight. The two players combined for 35 points (19 for Everett and 16 for Robertson) and were a combined 12-18 from 2. Coach Bradbury mentioned in is post game press conference that this is a type of game that Everett and Robertson should dominate by getting to the basket. After the NMSU game on Saturday, in which both players struggled finishing, it was great to see both players come out with great games.
Shai McGruder is becoming a treat to watch in the minutes that she receives. Once again, McGruder made good things happen in her 12 minutes of action, finishing with 7 points, 6 rebounds (4 offensive) and a steal. While her minutes will be limited this season due to Nunn and McClure, it is great to see two very good post options in Antonia Anderson and McGruder having big moments early in the year. McGruder is going to be a fun one to watch as her career unfolds.
While it wasn’t you typical Jaisa Nunn game, she finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds by the end of the game. There were a couple of shots that are normally made by Nunn, but this was a game that was designed for the guards to have big games. It was clear that Sac State didn’t want Nunn to beat them, and the Lobos were able to have other players step up and provide the scoring. Something to watch as the season goes along is how do teams attempt defending Nunn without the rest of Lobos offense going wild.
The Lobos did a great job of not falling into the trap of trying to keep up with Sac State shooting 3-pointers. At one point Sac State had a 30-0 point advantage from beyond the arc, but the Lobos were up by 19. It was great to see a team that starts two freshmen guards and a junior point guard that hasn’t played much point focus on getting the ball inside off the lanes that were open off of the Sac State traps. If the Lobos are able to follow the game plans set by the coaching staff, the Lobos will find themselves in great position to win a lot of games.
The Lobos have positioned themselves for a chance at an at-large bid if they don’t win the MW Tournament in March. The Lobos right now have a Top-25 RPI and only have the loss to Auburn. The Lobos almost got a huge boost tonight, as OU nearly knocked off UConn. If the Lobos can enter MW play with an 11-1 record and avoid any bad losses, they should be in the conversation for the at-large bid or a decent seed if they did win the MW Tournament.
The Lobos will host Stephen F Austin in the Championship Game of the Holiday Tournament on Thursday, December 20th at 7 PM. Both teams should be in the top tiers of their respective conferences as the season goes along. It will also be a different test of the Lobos, as SFA will not shoot 47 threes. Probably. It should be a good test for both teams and would be another good win for the Lobos if they are able to pull it off.