The last time the two squads faced off, the Lobos squeaked by the Rebels 63-60. That game, on Jan. 21, UNM forced the win with its deep bench as three starters and a key bench player had early exits.
The game required junior forward Alexa Chavez and junior guard Bryce Owens to be assisted off the court with injuries. Owens would later return in the contest to accumulate the team-high 15 points, but Chavez’s late injury sidelined her for the rest of the game.
Head coach Yvonne Sanchez was unavailable to discuss the rematch because the team is on the road.
New Mexico hopes to have Khadijah Shumpert for Saturday’s game, as well. The junior forward unintentionally munched on a snack that contained a food she is allergic to during their last game against UNLV, requiring trainers to carry her up the ramp after only six minutes of play.
The last meeting featured 45 fouls, 30 turnovers and 13 blocked shots. Something clicked for the Lobos following their victory over the Rebels, as the UNM has not lost a game since that match up.
Redshirt senior guard Antiesha Brown and sophomore forward Kianna Keller were forced to the bench early as well the last time the two teams faced, as both fouled out of the grueling contest.
The Lobos will not have a home-court luxury this time around, but the team has the benefit of heightened confidence that comes with an eight-game winning streak.
Rebel guard Danielle Miller and forward Alana Cesarz will require a serious amount of attention, as they are two of the top five scorers in the conference. Miller’s 18.3 points per contest is the best in the Mountain West. That along with Cesarz’s fifth-best 15.7 average makes the two the best guard-forward scoring tandem in the league.
UNM (15-10, 11-3 Mountain West) held Cesarz to just 10 points in the previous game, but Miller’s 18 points, before her fouling out, almost provided the Rebels with enough juice to get a win at WisePies Arena.
Keeping Miller away from the line will likely be a major point of focus for UNM. Miller went a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe the last time around and is shooting 77 percent on the season, fifth-best in the Mountain West.
UNLV (11-13, 8-5 MW) has won five of its last six games and is currently enjoying a three-game win streak. In order for UNM to remain on its tear, the Lobos are going to need to keep close tabs on the lethal scorers for UNLV on the road.
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New Mexico came out sluggish in the first game of its two-game road trip, trailing 27-23 to San Diego State at the half on Wednesday night. The Aztecs managed to head into intermission with just a four-point lead despite shooting nearly 50 percent from the field (13-27).
The Lobos came to life in the second half, coming away with a 63-47 victory highlighted by New Mexico’s light-out shooting in the second half. UNM shot nearly 70 percent from the field during its 40-point spree in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Going into the game, Sanchez said the Lobos had to be wary of SDSU’s new attack method of forcing the ball inside. Shumpert helped limit forward Erimma Amarikwa to just 11 points, while she collected the game-high 17 points.
UNM will likely turn to its physical junior captain once more in Las Vegas to remain in control of its fate for at least a share of the regular season title. UNM and CSU (19-6) are tied atop the Mountain West with 11-3 conference records.
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.
