After a much needed win on Wednesday against USU, the Lobos (12-10, 5-6) head to San José, California to take on the San José State Spartans (9-14, 7-5) in a key Mountain West game. The Spartans are in fourth place at the moment and the Lobos are in seventh place, but with a Lobo win they will be a half game behind SJSU and would have the season tiebreaker. In their first meeting in Albuquerque, the Lobos were able to control the game from the opening tip, outscoring SJSU 22-6 in the first quarter alone. The Lobos ended up winning the game 71-57, with Cherise Beynon and Khadijah Shumpert combining for 33 points and 19 rebounds. The Lobos also held SJSU to 27.4% shooting, which is well below their season average. Since the first meeting, the two teams have gone in completely different directions, as SJSU has won three straight with their last loss being a two-point loss to league favorite CSU. The Lobos, on the other hand, were on a four game losing streak before knocking off USU in the final minute of the game on Wednesday. It is very important for the Lobos to keep SJSU from playing their style of game, just like they did in the first meeting between these teams. They will also look to limit the threes SJSU make during the game, which was a big factor during the first game, as SJSU was only 3-20 from the three-point line.
Category: Lobo Basketball
Men’s Basketball: Utah State Recap and San Jose State Preview
Coming off a heartbreaking loss in San Diego, the Lobos headed to Logan, UT in hopes of sweeping the season series with the Utah State Aggies. Unfortunately, it didn’t go that way, as the Lobos came away with an 80-72 loss. They’ll now look to stop this little skid this Saturday at home against San Jose State. Although the Spartans are currently sitting in last place in the conference, they’ve recently started to show signs of improvement, so that Lobos will need to come out with focus and intensity if they want to put the Spartans away.
Cullen Doesn’t Owe Us Anything
Something that has been simmering for a while has finally seemed to boil over: the hatred of Cullen Neal by some Lobo fans. It was revealed Thursday in Coach Neal’s presser – which are always interesting to watch, but this one more so because of the emotions involved – that Cullen has had to change his phone number twice and deactivate his social media accounts because of the harassment and threats that he received this season. That’s ridiculous.
Women’s Basketball vs. Utah State Preview
The Lobos (11-10, 4-6) return to action Wednesday Night, where they find themselves trying to figure things out and get things going in the right direction again. It could be a tough task, as they take on a tough team in the Utah State Aggies (11-11, 6-5). While the overall record for the Aggies doesn’t look great, they controlled the first game between the two teams winning 72-56. One thing is certain: the Lobos need to find ways to score the ball to have any chance to win. They have scored only 94 points in their last two games, which has dropped their season scoring average to 62.3 points per game. There is still time to make sure that this isn’t a lost season, but there is a decent chance this season will get away from the Lobos if things keep going this way.
Men’s Basketball: SDSU Recap and Utah State Preview
The Lobos went to San Diego to face the hated Aztecs with a chance to control their own destiny in conference play. After a hard-fought, physical game, it is perhaps unfortunate that the big takeaway from the game was an officiating error. It is more unfortunate that it went against the Lobos and likely cost them the game. Now, although it’s not impossible, it’s become much more difficult for the team to win the regular season championship and it will likely require them to win out. The first step towards that happens in Logan, UT against the Utah State Aggies, who are likely to be desperate to salvage their season.
Women’s Basketball vs. San Diego State Preview
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.
Men’s Basketball at San Diego State Preview
The Lobos are now riding a four-game winning streak that has put them at 7-2 in conference play with two games remaining against the league-leading San Diego State Aztecs. The first of those games is tomorrow in San Diego, where the Lobos will be looking to make up a little ground to put them within striking distance of first place. It’s nice to have this rivalry back to where it feels like it’s supposed to be: right at the top of the conference standings and jockeying for another championship.
Men’s Basketball vs. UNLV Recap
Fresh off a big win in Boise, the Lobos had a fairly quick turnaround before they had to play host to the UNLV Rebels. The Rebels are one of the two teams who have handed the Lobos a loss in conference play, so it was clear that the Lobos would be looking for revenge. In a game that ended up being a shootout, they did just that, coming out with an 87-83 win to keep them in second place in the conference with a 7-2 record.
Women’s Basketball at UNLV Preview
The Lobos (11-8, 4-4) are back in action Wednesday night, when they head to Las Vegas, for a rematch with UNLV (12-8, 5-4) at Cox Pavilion. The Lobos won the first meeting at WisePies Arena AKA The PIT 67-53, a game that saw four of the Lobo starters score in double figures, highlighted by Khadijah Shumpert’s 18 points and 9 rebounds. The first meeting was a back and forth game for the first three quarters, but the Lobos used a 20-10 fourth quarter to win by 14 points. It is important for the Lobos to take care of the ball again in this game, and find contributions from multiple players. The Lobos need to find a comfort level with each other and play for each other, especially after their disappointing home loss against BSU.
Men’s Basketball: Boise State Recap and UNLV Preview
The Lobos started their toughest stretch of conference play with a bang, going into Boise and beating the Broncos 88-83. The win put them in sole possession of second place in the conference with a 6-2 record and re-established them as a team to take seriously in league play. They’ll now turn their attention once again to UNLV in hopes of avenging the loss they suffered in Las Vegas a few weeks ago.