Lobos aiming for 4-0 MWC start
How far can the UNM women’s basketball team take it?
Riding an impressive streak of three double-digit victories, the Lobos roll into Reno, Nev., today looking to make a little personal Mountain West history. A victory would make them 4-0 for the first time since the league was founded in 1999-2000.
UNM (7-6, 3-0) last won its first four conference games in 1998-99 as members of the Western Athletic Conference.
As one might expect, first-year Lobos coach Mike Bradbury is not a Mountain West history buff, nor does he much care about today’s recordbreaking opportunity.
“I don’t think about that stuff at all,” Bradbury said. “We’re just trying to win the next one. That’s more than enough for me to think about.”
Still, today’s game against the Wolf Pack (6-8, 0-3) presents an opportunity for the Lobos. They come into the day tied with Wyoming for first place early in the conference race and any road win figures to be precious as the season goes on.
Despite its shaky start in league play, Bradbury sees Nevada as dangerous.
“They can really score the basketball,” he said of the Wolf Pack. “Their guard play is going to be very, very challenging for us. Their first four guards are probably as good as anyone’s in the league.”
Indeed, Nevada ranks second in MWC scoring at 71.6 points per game. (UNM is third at 71.5.) Guards Stephanie Schmid and Riana Everidge rank among the individual top 11 in scoring, and point guard Terilyn Moe ranks fifth in assists.
However, Nevada ranks second to last in MWC scoring defense, allowing more than 74 points per game. UNM, meanwhile, has averaged 81 points in its first three league games.
“Yeah, I would imagine it’ll be a high-scoring game,” Bradbury said. “I just hope we can figure out an effective way to guard them so it’s not too high-scoring. We need to play defense more than we need to try to outscore people.”
UNM’s defense has been more than solid recently. Their first three conference foes have averaged just 54.3 points, and the Lobos held Utah State scoreless for more than 5 minutes at the end of Wednesday’s 78-67 victory.
“I think we’ve done a pretty solid job for our last seven games,” Bradbury said, “but every game’s a different challenge. Nevada’s games have been really close and you know they want that first conference win. They are going to come after us.”
UNM will again be without top 3-point shooter Alex Lapeyrolerie (concussion) and figures to attack the Wolf Pack inside. Posts Richelle van der Keijl and Jaisa Nunn combined for 40 points against Utah State, and the Lobos should again have a height advantage today.
Point guard Cherise Beynon remains the key for New Mexico, however. She ranks second in MWC scoring in conference games (23 points per game) and is tied for the lead in assists at 7.3.
“Cherise orchestrates everything for us,” Bradbury said. “She’s our best offensive player, our most athletic player and our best defender, so we obviously count heavily on her. Not to put extra pressure on her, but those are the facts. The good news is, she’s been living up to her billing. That’s why we’re winning games.”
The schedule gets even more challenging after today’s contest. UNM’s next three games are at UNLV and home to defending league champ Colorado State and Boise State.