The University of New Mexico women's basketball team will have its hands full on Wednesday night in WisePies Arena, as they host the Boise State Broncos.
New Mexico (8-8, 4-2 Mountain West) will enter the game coming off a crushing home loss against Colorado State – a team that drained 18 three-pointers to take a decisive 78-63 victory, despite the Lobos leading in almost every statistical category.
The defeat put the Lobos back at an even .500 for the season and on a two-game losing streak. Both losses were critical as they came against in-conference opponents.
The Broncos (13-3, 3-2) are in the same boat as the Lobos, putting up a 1-2 record in its last three in-conference matchups. Though Boise State’s overall record is tied for tops in the Mountain West conference, it is ranked fourth in league play, one spot below the Lobos.
Despite the Broncos’ 9-1 home record, it narrowly escaped with a victory on Saturday against the San Diego State team that the Lobos ripped apart on the road by 26 points. The Broncos beat SDSU 67-66.
Lobo junior guard Cherise Beynon has cemented herself as one of the leaders on the court, averaging 15.8 points per game and 6.9 assists – her points per game total ranks fifth in the conference, while her assists per game average are second conference-wide.
According to GoLobos.com, Beynon is closing in on 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds – a milestone only 14 Lobos have ever achieved. She is 52 points and 28 rebounds away from those marks.
Three other Lobos are averaging double digits on the season, too – senior center Richelle van der Keijl (13.8), sophomore center Jaisa Nunn (10.9) and freshman guard Mykiel Burleson (10.1).
Despite back-to-back losses for UNM, rebounding has been solid all season, with four players averaging better than seven boards per game. Van der Keijl is averaging 10.3 rebounds per game. Right behind her are Beynon (7.5), senior forward Kianna Keller (7.4) and Nunn (7.3).
The Lobos have grabbed 47.9 rebounds per game, while holding its opponents to 42.1.
The Broncos have scored 71.8 points per game as a team, which ranks second in the Mountain West, significantly better than the 68.9 average posted by the Lobos.
Boise State’s top scoring threats include senior guard Brooke Pahukoa who averages 13.6 points per game and junior forward Shalen Shaw who adds 11.3 points.
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The game marks the fourteenth all-time the two teams, which Boise State leads 8-5. The Lobos are 2-3 at home against the Broncos, with its last win at WisePies Arena on Feb. 25, 2015.
The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women's basketball and baseball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz
