The Lobos (11-7, 4-3) continued their winning ways against Air Force on Wednesday night with a 63-33 win. While there isn’t much to take away from the game for the Lobos, as they clearly outclassed the Falcons, they were able to play everyone minutes and keep anyone from playing more than 22 minutes. The Lobos will have a huge step up in competition today when they take on third-place Boise State Broncos (13-6, 6-2). This is a rematch of last year’s Mountain West Tournament Title Game, which was won by the Broncos. This is a very important home game for the Lobos to help with seeding, especially as it is becoming more unlikely that the Lobos will be able to challenge for the regular season title with Fresno State and Colorado State both still being undefeated in league play.
Category: Lobo Basketball
Men’s Basketball: Air Force Recap and Boise State Preview
On Wednesday, the Lobos took down Air Force in an impressive fashion to complete their two-game sweep of the worst teams in the conference. The road gets quite a bit bumpier now, though, as the Lobos will now enter what is probably the toughest four-game stretch on their schedule. That stretch starts with a game up in Idaho, as the Lobos face Boise State tomorrow afternoon with sole possession of second place in the conference up for grabs. Although a loss won’t be incredibly damaging, this game provides an opportunity to prove that the gains the team has made this past week are real and that the Lobos should be thought of as contenders for the conference title.
Women’s Basketball at Air Force Preview
The Lobos (10-7, 3-3) head to Colorado Springs to take on the Air Force Falcons (0-18, 0-7) after coming off a much-needed 71-57 win Saturday against SJSU. While there are still questions that need to be answered for the Lobos if they are going to challenge for the league title, they were able to play much better on the offensive side of the ball. The biggest concern for the Lobos after the game was the 22 turnovers they committed, which won’t do against better teams. There were some bright spots in the game, as Cherise Beynon finished with a double-double with 17 points (7-17 FGs), 10 rebounds, and 4 assists and Khadijah Shumpert had a very productive offensive game, finishing with 16 points (7-9 FGs) and 9 rebounds. Shumpert was again limited in her minutes due to foul trouble, only getting 20 minutes of action. The Lobos were also able to get good production from Whitney Johnson (11 points and 7 rebounds) and from freshman Jannon Otto, who finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Men’s Basketball vs. Air Force Preview
The Lobos put on a dominant second-half display in San Jose on Saturday to bust out of their two-game skid. Now, they’ll look to get a little win streak going when they take on the Air Force Falcons Wednesday night. Air Force is another team that has been struggling in conference play, but they offer some unique challenges that could make the game more interesting than it appears on paper.
Men’s Basketball at SJSU Recap
Needing a win to put a stop to their two-game losing streak, the Lobos headed out to San Jose and took down an overmatched SJSU team. Although the win didn’t come against an impressive opponent, the team showed that it had made some strides in its week off that could help it as we get deeper into conference play.
Women’s Basketball vs. San Jose State Preview
The Lobos (9-7, 2-3) return to action after their second and last bye of the Mountain West schedule to take on the San Jose State Spartans (6-12, 4-3). This is a very important home game for the Lobos, as they have struggled offensively since the Minnesota game over a month ago and could use a good performance on that end of the court to build up some confidence and momentum. Hopefully the Lobos were able to make adjustments during the week and will be able to get their offensive attack back on track. SJSU could be just the team the Lobos need to get this done, as the Spartans are giving up almost 80 point per game. A key to the offense will getting Jaisa Nunn back to where she was before the concussion, when she was the Lobos third-leading scorer behind Khadijah Shumpert and Cherise Beynon. The Lobos also need to get production from the second wing position as well as the bench, which they certainly have the potential to do. If the Lobos are able to answer these questions, there is still time for the Lobos to make noise in the Mountain West.
Men’s Basketball at San Jose State Preview
The Lobos got a week off after getting Josh Adams-ed on Saturday, which gave them a full week to prepare for their visit to San Jose State. The Spartans are still one of the bottom teams in the conference, but they have made some legitimate strides this season. Still, this is one the Lobos can’t afford to lose.
Mountain West Women’s Basketball Update
We are now in the fourth week of Mountain West women’s basketball season, with teams having played either five or six games entering play Wednesday night. This marks about a third of the season for the teams and we are starting to be able to see how the conference will shake out. There is still plenty of time for teams to move up in the standings, as with the way teams’ schedules are and just the nature of the sport, it is possible to see multiple teams to go on long winning streaks. The Lobos are in a tough spot being 2-3, but with a 1-1 record at home and 1-2 record on the road they still have a chance to finish in the top part of the conference. One thing that needs to happen for the Lobos to have a chance to win the regular season crown is they need to get their offense going, or this season will not go as well as we had hoped.
Men’s Basketball vs. Wyoming Recap
Saturday afternoon, the Lobos took on the Wyoming Josh Adamses, who were able to dictate the pace of the game and use a phenomenal individual performance to pull off a 70-68 upset victory on the road. The loss dropped the Lobos to 3-2 in the conference (10-8 overall) and leaves the team once again looking to pull themselves together after a week full of losses.
Women’s Basketball at Wyoming Preview
The Lobos (9-6, 2-2) return to action on Saturday afternoon, when they head to Laramie, Wyoming to take on the Wyoming Cowgirls (9-6, 2-3). After struggling with their offense since the win at Minnesota, the Lobos were able to get good offensive production from their three leaders in their game against UNLV. While the offensive production was great, the Lobos also got back to being a great defensive team after a couple disappointing games. The Lobos need to build off their win against UNLV and pick up some road wins if they want to get back to the top of the conference standings. The Lobos are not a perfect team, but they will have a chance to win the conference if they bring energy and defense to every single game. Cherise Beynon has been playing fantastic on both sides of the ball and has been the Lobos’ most consistent player. In the end, the Lobos finish in the conference will determined by the play of Khadijah Shumpert. If she can be a first-team all-MW player that is a force in every single game, I like the Lobos chances in pretty much every game.