Houston trip to feel like home for some
It’s a rare Turkey Day journey for Lobos
The UNM women’s basketball team will have to do without its home-for-the-holidays theme this week.
For the first time in recent memory the Lobos are not hosting a Thanksgivinig tournament. (This year’s Lobo Invitational is closer to Christmas on Dec. 19-20.) That means no family mega-feast today at the Davalos Center either.
But that doesn’t mean it’s just another Thursday for coach Mike Bradbury and his players. The Lobos will spend much of the day preparing for Saturday’s road opener at Houston — practice this morning and a flight to southeast Texas at 2 p.m. Then its turkey time. “They’re preparing a big meal for us at our hotel,” Bradbury said. “It’s supposed to be really nice.”
Antonia Anderson is not depending on it. Anderson, one of five Texans on UNM’s roster, is looking forward to a little home cookin’.
“My dad lives in Houston and I’ll have lots of family there,” Anderson said. “My mom’s going to be bringing me a plate with all the good stuff, so I’m not too worried about our meal at the hotel.”
Several UNM players will have family in Houston for both Thanksgiving and Saturday’s game. Sophomore Madi Washington, freshmen Quincy Noble and Bre’Asiajah Mathews and senior transfer Najala Howell are all from the Lone Star State.
Washington said her parents, brother and sister are planning to meet her during the trip, but she’ll also see a familiar face when the Lobos (2-1) and Cougars (3-3) square off Saturday. Houston junior forward Dorian Branch is a former AAU teammate of Washington’s.
“I don’t think we’ve ever played against each other,” Washington said, “so that will be fun. I think it’s going to be a fun, up-and-down game.”
Houston comes in averaging 79.6 points per game, which has Bradbury looking forward to a high-scoring affair.
“It will be a track meet,” he said. “I’ve watched (the Cougars) on video quite a bit and they look a lot like us. I feel like we’re very evenly matched.” The Lobos, who have played five straight games at home (two of them exhibitions) to start the season, will have to adjust to a new atmosphere. The team huddled to discuss that after Tuesday’s practice.
“The most important thing for our new players to know is it’s not nearly as loud on the road,” Washington said. “We can’t count on the fans to pick us up. We have to bring our own energy, but I think we’ll be ready to run.”
AROUND THE MWC:
UNM goes into the weekend as one of five Mountain West teams with one loss. Defending champ and preseason favorite Boise State was the last team to suffer its first loss, falling 74-55 to No. 5 Louisville on Monday in Boise. The Broncos trailed just 31-28 at halftime before the Cardinals pulled away.
San Diego State (3-1), Fresno State (2-1) and Wyoming (2-1) are the other one-loss teams. UNLV, which was picked to finish second in the Mountain West, shares the basement with San Jose State at 0-3. The Rebels have fallen to Wright State, UC Irvine and Gonzaga.