The Lobos needed all the defensive help they could get against Mimi Mungedi, the Wolf Pack’s dominant center. Going into the contest, head coach Yvonne Sanchez said the team would need to play collectively in order to contain the towering player from Libreville, Gabon.
“Man, that kid is tough,” Sanchez said. “Our kids worked like heck just to get her out of there, which limited their scoring — but they did a nice job.”
With just 2:41 left in the second half and the contest well out of hand, fans waved goodbye to Mungedi, who finished the day with 11 points and 17 boards.
Sophomore forward Kiana Keller was not impressed by the hype surrounding one of the Mountain West’s top shot blockers and the conference’s leading rebounder. Keller picked up eight points, her season-high, along with four boards and an assist during the 20 minutes she played.
“Today you saw just a glimpse of what (Keller) can do,” Sanchez said. “She’s starting to play some of her best basketball.”
Sanchez said the Lobos needed Keller to have a breakout performance, because the team will be reliant on her down the stretch. Although the 6’4” post for New Mexico lacked inches against Mungedi, she said the team defense is what propelled UNM to victory.
“Defense is basically our identity right now. It keeps us in games,” Keller said. “When the offense isn’t going so well, we know the defense is going to pick us up and get our momentum going.”
The defense certainly gave the Lobos a push offensively. UNM scored 21 points off of 23 turnovers on Saturday.
However, redshirt senior guard Antiesha Brown did not need much help on the offensive side of the ball. She scored 20 points and dished out two assists on a 9-14 night. Sanchez said she believes these types of games can be a recurring theme for the senior.
“Antiesha (Brown) just felt it, and boy did she feel it,” Sanchez said. “I don’t think that’s a fluke, and I think that’s something she can do a lot of.”
Brown said the success of the team is due to its defense. Although she was the one to step up on Saturday, the Lobos rely heavily on team chemistry and communication between the vast number of able players coming in and out of games.
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“We have so many different rotations and can go so deep in our bench, we have to be playing with everybody,” Brown said. “It was definitely a group effort.”
Saturday was the Lobos’ Pink Pack game, in which New Mexico made the effort to raise breast cancer awareness. Both UNM and Nevada (7-16, 3-9 Mountain West) were sporting pink on their respective uniforms for the annual game.
In addition, the Lobos were auctioning off white and pink jerseys with all funds proceeding UNM’s Pink Pack, a foundation started by Hugh Greenwood, sophomore forward Josie Greenwood’s brother. The Greenwoods’ mother is battling secondary breast cancer.
“People are battling for their lives and we are just playing a basketball game,” Sanchez said. “If we can brighten up some people for this game and make them forget what they have to go through ... I think that’s amazing.”
New Mexico certainly put on a show for the 6,598 fans in pink who watched the Lobos sail their way to a share of first place in the conference.
Despite New Mexico’s slow start against some of the nation’s best competitors, the Lobos have overcome a 1-7 early season to now find themselves atop the Mountain West with the Colorado State Rams (18-6) with their 10-3 conference record. Following a loss to Boise State, Fresno State (17-6, 9-3 MW) has dropped its last three games and now trails UNM and CSU by half a game.
Sanchez said the rigorous schedule worried her at first because she didn’t want to overwork her squad early in the season. Facing tough competition has paid off for Sanchez’s players, who have recovered nicely and are now riding a seven-game winning streak late in the season.
UNM’s hot play has placed the squad among the best teams in recent memory. The Lobos (14-10) are seven games above .500 in Mountain West play for the first time since the 2003-2004 season.
“There should be no limitations on this team,” Sanchez said. “I’m really proud of this team.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
