Author: Zach

Men’s Basketball vs. Auburn Recap and BYU Preview

The Lobos’ first round game of the Diamond Head Classic against Auburn was a game of runs. This was due in large part to the sheer number of turnovers in the game, 39 total, and the three point shooting by both teams, 20 made threes. Combined, this meant that there would be multiple runs of 6 or more point swings. There were many times it looked like one of the teams would run away with the game, only to have the other team make a similar run and take the lead back. In the end for the Lobos, there were too many turnovers and too much Canty, ultimately falling to Auburn 82-78. This sends the Lobos to the loser’s bracket to face BYU tomorrow at 12:30 MT.

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Women’s Basketball at Minnesota Recap

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.

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Women’s Basketball at Minnesota Preview

The Lobos (6-3), winners of two straight, will hit the road to The University of Minnesota (6-2), who will probably be the best team the Lobos will face this season. It will be important for the Lobos to take care of the basketball and make the most of every single offensive possession to give them a good shot to win this game. It can’t be stressed enough how important it is for Khadijah Shumpert and Cherise Beynon to have great games and to stay out of foul trouble, as they have been the heart and soul of this Lobo team. I think the Lobos have a chance in this game, but it will have to be their best performance of the season. Read more

Women’s Basketball vs. Pepperdine Recap

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.

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Women’s Basketball vs. Pepperdine Preview

The Lobos (5-3) return to action at WisePies Arena AKA The PIT to face Pepperdine University Waves (4-6). Because they had the week off for Finals Week, the Lobos haven’t played since their two-game Texas road trip. The Lobos are coming off a great road win against a solid SMU team while the Waves, after starting the year 2-6, are on a two-game winning streak. Look for the Lobos to make Pepperdine work hard on both sides of the court to take advantage of the elevation. It is important for the Lobos that Khadijah Shumpert stays out of foul trouble, especially after seeing her pick up her 4th foul in the first minute of the third quarter in the last game. While the Lobos can find production from other post players, it is always a benefit to have your best player on the court for a large majority of the game.

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Women’s Basketball: The Story So Far

As they finish the fall semester and get ready for their three games during their holiday schedule, the Lady Lobos find themselves sitting at 5-3. This will be their last stretch to get ready for conference play, which starts December 30th. While it is most likely the Mountain West Conference is once again a one-bid league, the Lobos have positioned themselves as one of the favorites to win the regular season championship, or at least end up with a high seed for the conference tournament. That said, I think that it is imperative for the Lobos to win their last three non-conference game, as I think that it would make it possible for them to become an at-large team if they ended up with two or less loses in conference play and end up with a loss in the conference championship game. I don’t think the Lobos want to put their NCAA Tournament chances in the hand of the selection committee, so the goal is clearly to win the MWC Tournament to get the automatic bid. But, before all that, let’s look back at the first eight games of the schedule and some scattered thoughts that I have had during the first month of the season.

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Women’s Basketball at SMU Preview

The Lobos continue their Texas two-step road trip with their game Saturday afternoon at SMU in Dallas, Texas. The Lobos are coming off a tough road loss at UTEP, where the Miners shot 12-24 from three-point range in the game. That put the Lobos on a two game losing streak, which they hope to break against the 3-3 Mustangs. I bet Coach Sanchez and the coaching staff talked and preached to their team to limit the quality looks that they gave from three, as that has become a bit of an issue this season. A bright spot for the Lobos is that the Mustangs have struggled from three in the early part of this season, shooting below 30% at 29.5%. Still, the Lobos will have to defend well in this game to have a good shot of winning and they have to make sure not to foul, as the Mustangs are a great free throw shooting team at 84%.

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Women’s Baseketball at UTEP Preview

The Lobos start a two-game road trip to the state of Texas today against longtime rival UTEP in El Paso. The Lobos are looking to rebound after a tough loss against Duquesne in the championship game of the Thanksgiving Tournament, losing 78-69. It doesn’t get any easier for the Lobos (4-2) though, as they face the undefeated Miners (5-0) Wednesday afternoon at 4:15. While the Miners haven’t played a great schedule so far this season, they haven’t even played a road game yet, they are undefeated and playing at home against a young Lobos team that has only played one road game this season, which they lost by 19 to NMSU. Already in this young season, both teams have played Houston Baptist at home, with the Lobos winning their game 65-57 and the Miners winning their game 98-63. While we can’t take too much out of those results, one thing we can take out is the Miners ability to score the basketball; they are averaging 77.6 points per game. For the Lobos to have a good shot to win this game they need to take care of the ball, take good shots, and force the Miners into bad shots.

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Women’s Basketball vs. Duquesne preview

The Lobos and Duquesne took care of business in the first round of the New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament to set up a Championship game with two 4-1 teams. Duquesne beat North Carolina A&T 81-67, where they played very well in the second half, outscoring North Carolina A&T 47-30. The Lobos had a much easier time against Southern Utah, winning the game 70-48 and outscoring Southern Utah in each of the first three quarters. As I mentioned before the Southern Utah game, being able to rest your best players in the first game would be very important for the game Saturday and the Lobos did a great job doing that, with only Cherise Beynon (25) and Bryce Owens (28) playing over 20 minutes. On the other hand, Duquesne had three players play over 30 minutes and six players that played over 20 minutes.

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Men’s Basketball vs. Nicholls State Recap

The calling card for the Lobos team on Wednesday Night was their defense. After giving up 90 points in their loss Saturday against USC, the Lobos only gave up 63 points to Nicholls State, including only 28 points in the second half. Nicholls State was held to 32.8% from the field in the game and 25% in the second half. However, one thing the Lobos need to find is reliable shooting from a night in, night out basis. The Lobos struggled from three in the game going 6-29 from three, which is a sub-par 20.7%. The Lobos need to get to where they are shooting around 35% from range as a team to become a really good offensive team.

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