Lobos seek to end year on a high
UNM to host Aztecs in New Year’s Eve tussle
New Year’s Eve at the Pit does not sound like a party to Mike Bradbury.
The University of New Mexico women’s basketball coach expects tonight’s Mountain West Conference game against San Diego State to be work, work and more work.
Yes, the Lobos (5-6, 1-0) are coming in on a bit of high after an unexpected 80-54 road trouncing of Fresno State on Thursday night. But they didn’t arrive in Albuquerque until Friday afternoon, and they’ll face a rested Aztecs team tonight that is playing its conference opener.
“We’ve got our work cut out, but it is what it is,” Bradbury said. “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We have to come out focused and rise to the occasion.”
Job one for the Lobos, as it’s been in recent games, is to defend at a high level. The Aztecs (5-6) feature a balanced, up-tempo offense sparked by junior standout McKynzie Fort (16.8 points per game). SDSU’s attack only got better when Washington transfer Khalia Lark became eligible two games ago.
“They make 3s, they attack the basket, offensively they’re really good,” Bradbury said. “And, yes, adding (Lark) to the equation makes a difference. She’s a player.”
It’s the latest test for a New Mexico defense that generally has received high marks in recent weeks. UNM’s defense was sometimes porous during a four-game losing streak in late November and early December, but the Lobos have limited foes to an average of 60 points over their past six games. That span includes some highpowered offensive teams, Minnesota and Marquette among them.
New Mexico has gotten it done with switching defenses, a combination of man-to-man, 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones and occasional half-court traps. Bradbury and his staff have come up with effective game-specific plans designed to neutralize opponents’ primary scorers.
Thursday’s game at Fresno State was a prime example. Post Bego Faz Davalos and point guard Candice White, who combine to average more than 30 points per game, scored 15 and attempted just 12 combined shots against the Lobos’ help defense and quick double-teams.
“Honestly, we’ve had very good defensive plans every game,” senior post Kianna Keller said. “When we execute them we’ve been very successful. It’s just a matter of remembering everything and all of us being on the same page.”
Keller, who shoots infrequently and averages just 2.7 points per game, is an anchor of UNM’s defense. She laughed when asked about her team’s success using zones this season.
“We’re probably pretty scary with all our long arms everywhere,” she said. “I think we’ve probably confused some people.”
Bradbury has had to adjust his offense to suit his personnel this season, picking his spots to attack instead of employing his preferred dribbledrive, attacking style.
Defense has required fewer adjustments.
“When we give maximum effort and follow the plan,” Bradbury said, “we can be pretty good defensively. The last five, six games have been good. We need to keep improving on that.”
The Lobos rank second in the Mountain West in field goal percentage defense, limiting foes to 35-percent shooting. Fresno State shot just 34 percent Thursday, but San Diego State’s transition style presents a different challenge.
“We wanted to speed (Fresno State) up,” Keller said, “but we need to slow San Diego State’s offense down, stop them in transition. We just have to be ready to work hard.”