Optimism reigns as UNM women open season
Lobos hope to have taller Western Michigan on the run
Alex Lapeyrolerie has been around the University of New Mexico women’s basketball program longer than any of her current teammates or coaches.
The redshirt senior has seen plenty of ups and downs and gained a little perspective since she arrived on campus in 2013. But Lapeyrolerie won’t hide her feelings about the 2017-18 season, which starts tonight when the Lobos host Western Michigan at the Pit.
“I’m excited,” Lapeyrolerie said, “because this will be a really good team. We’re faster, quicker, stronger than we’ve been since I got here and we finally have some depth. I think this season can be a lot of fun.”
The Lobos are indeed an optimistic bunch heading into coach Mike Bradbury’s second season. UNM’s roster is now built to accommodate his preferred up-tempo style, and the Lobos have been working to implement an attacking, dribble-drive offense and high-pressure defense.
Both will be put to the test against tonight against a solid Western Michigan team. The Broncos have four starters back from a team that won 19 games and reached the Mid-American Conference tournament semifinals last season.
“Western Michigan’s very good,” Bradbury said. “Their post players are really
good and their point guard (Deja Wimby) is outstanding. It’s going to be difficult keeping her in front of us, but that’ll be a primary goal.”
Tonight’s matchup is part of a challenging opening weekend for the Lobos, who host No. 17 Marquette on Monday. Bradbury called UNM’s early schedule “very demanding,” but he believes the Lobos are ready to jump in.
“We’ve got a plan for game one and I believe in what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re ready. Now it all comes down to execution.”
Defensively, UNM will try to keep the ball away from Western Michigan’s top returning scorers, posts Marley Hill and Breanna Mobley. The duo combined to average 28.1 points and 15.5 rebounds last season.
The Broncos shot reasonably well from the perimeter last season but lost their top 3-point threat to graduation. None of WMU’s returning players hit more than 28 3’s last season.
“If we can keep the ball out of the post and make their other players uncomfortable, we can have a good night,” Lapeyrolerie said. “We’ve worked on defense a ton the past two weeks, and that’s what this game will come down to.”
UNM’s defense forced 25 turnovers in Sunday’s 84-68 exhibition win over Fort Lewis, but tonight’s opponent figures to be more secure with the ball. Wimby has been named to this season’s Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, an honor bestowed on the nation’s top collegiate point guards.
“She is a handful,” Bradbury said, “but we still need to get up and down in this game. (Western Michigan) doesn’t traditionally push the pace too much, so we’d rather get them out of their comfort zone.”
The Lobos figure to go with four experienced starters — seniors Cherise Beynon, Tesha Buck, Lapeyrolerie and junior Jaisa Nunn— and one freshman in point guard N’Dea Flye. But unlike in recent seasons, UNM will likely go deep into its bench to keep fresh bodies pushing a fast tempo.
“We’ve never been able to do that,” Lapeyrolerie said. “It seems like somebody always gets hurt or something happens, you start to feel like you’re cursed. But not this year. We’ve finally got all the pieces in place. This is the year.”