TOUGH LOVE
Lobos benefit from new conditioning coach’s demanding regimen
Mike Bradbury says he’s paying Chicken Little and company no heed.
Yes, the University of New Mexico women’s basketball coach is well aware that his team has hit hard times, losing three straight games and five of six after starting the season 15-1.
And yes, Bradbury and the Lobos circled the wagons a bit Tuesday, holding just their second closed practice of the season.
Afterward Bradbury conceded there’s a sense of urgency regarding this week’s back-toback home games against Utah State and San Jose State. The Lobos (16-6, 4-5 Mountain West) host the Aggies (5-16, 3-7) tonight at Dreamstyle Arena.
But rather than fret about what’s gone wrong over the past three weeks, Bradbury and his staff prefer to focus on getting well over the next five.
“I know there are people saying, ‘The sky is falling,’ right now,” Bradbury said. “We’re not buying into that. Of course, we all want to win but there’s no panic. We’re only halfway through the (Mountain West) schedule, and there’s plenty of time to get things turned back around.”
Bradbury pointed out that UNM’s recent skid included onepossession losses to UNLV and Colorado State and a competitive defeat at first-place Wyoming. He did not excuse losses at San Jose State and San Diego State, games in which the Lobos’ defense allowed an average of 96 points.
“Everyone goes through some turbulence during the season,” he said. “It’s nothing new. We’ve had a couple bad games and a little bad luck and it’s all come at the same time. It’s up to us to keep working and push through it.”
Back-to-back home games
will give UNM an opportunity to get well. Utah State and San Jose State (6-14, 3-6) have both struggled this season but for drastically different reasons. The Aggies have struggled to score enough points, while the Spartans have allowed far too many.
UNM continues to rank among the national leaders in scoring (83.5 points per game) but has not been balanced on offense in recent games. Starters Tesha Buck, Alex Lapeyrolerie and Jaisa Nunn have all seen their scoring averages dip, placing a heavy scoring load on point guard Cherise Beynon.
“Cherise has been playing great all season,” Bradbury said. “(Freshman N’Dea Flye) had a couple bad weeks but she’s coming back around. Now we need to get Jaisa, Tesha and Alex to pick it back up. Tesha and Alex haven’t made many shots the last couple weeks and they’re a big part of what we do on offense.”
The Lobos easily lead the Mountain West in made 3-pointers with 208 (San Jose State is second with 165) and rank second in 3-point field goal percentage. But UNM has been outscored from 3-point range in four of its five recent losses and has had trouble both making and defending long-range shots.
“We’ve continued to work extensively on defense this week,” Bradbury said, “and doing a better job against the (3-pointer) has been a priority.”
At the halfway point of the Mountain West regular season, UNM finds itself in a disappointing seventh place in the standings. It’s not at all what Bradbury or his players had in mind.
“Fortunately, we’re only halfway through,” he said. “There’s still time to change it.”
NOTES: The Lobos will be without freshmen Jasmine Smith and Antonia Anderson for a second straight game. Smith (concussion protocol) had not been released for basketball activities as of Tuesday but could be back in the lineup by Saturday. Anderson is out with a left knee injury suffered Jan. 20 at San Diego State. MRI results revealed a sprained medial colateral ligament, Bradbury said, which could allow Anderson to return in 2-3 weeks.