“The race is over for first, but it's a big opportunity for us to get another quality win under our belts for postseason play.”
UNM head coach Mike Bradbury had that to say about the upcoming challenge against Colorado State, the top ranked team in the Mountain West.
And Bradbury is probably right as the Rams have a firm hold on first place with a 20-12 overall record, going 12-2 in conference. CSU has just four games left in the season, and though it doesn’t appear the team will miss a step.
But if the Lobos can pull off an upset in Fort Collins, Colorado, it could provide a welcome boost of confidence before the Mountain West Tournament begins.
The Lobos (15-11, 10-5 MW), currently sit in third place in the Mountain West standings, tied with Wyoming. UNM is just a few wins away from potentially securing a second place finish to the end of the regular season.
But a win against the Rams on Wednesday evening could be a difficult task, as Bradbury acknowledged that the tough opponent presents a lot of matchup problems.
“They're the hardest matchup for us,” Bradbury said of Colorado State. “Not only because they're probably the best team, but they're the hardest matchup for us because we don't matchup well.”
In the last meeting between the two teams on Jan. 14 of this year, the Rams took home a victory 78-63 at WisePies Arena. The first half was a close affair, though the Lobos pulled ahead to a 32-24 lead at the half.
But the Rams shot well in the second half, shooting a whopping 61.3 percent from the field to rebound from a slow start and finish at 45.2 percent on the game.
The Lobos, on the other hand, finished the second half with a dismal 28.6 percent effort. They shot 30.6 percent from the field as a team.
One thing the Lobos did have the advantage in during the first matchup was in the rebounding category, something they will likely have to do again for a chance at victory.
The Lobos amassed a 17 rebound advantage in the game, pulling down 52 boards compared to just 35 for the Rams. Senior center Richelle van der Keijl and sophomore center Jaisa Nunn both cleared nine rebounds in the game, tied for a team-high.
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But New Mexico will not have the services of Nunn, who had her season cut short when she sustained a torn ACL earlier in the year.
The Lobos still have a formidable post presence though, with the 6’5” van der Keijl patrolling the paint. The team will likely also need outstanding from their star guard, junior Cherise Beynon, who leads the team in scoring.
Beynon is a well-rounded triple threat, averaging a 15.8 points per contest, while also bringing down 7.3 rebounds per game and averaging 6.7 assists. She has recorded two triple-doubles in two of her last three games.
Van der Keijl has averaged 14.3 points a game, as well as a team-high 9.6 boards and 2.2 shot blocks per game.
Similar to the Lobos, Colorado State has two big scorers in Ellen Nystrom (15.2) and Elin Gustavsson (13.4).
Both team score the ball well, with the Rams averaging 65.2 points per game and the Lobos eclipsing that mark at 68.7 points.
But Colorado State is more stingy on defense, surrendering just 52.5 points per contest, while New Mexico has allowed 62.2 points to opponents.
Bradbury said the task may be difficult, but the Lobos have to do one thing to have a chance to hang around for a chance at victory – score.
“I think we have to score,” Bradbury said. “I mean you look at them play and you watch some of their games, and it's painfully hard for the opponent to score.”
Tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22 and the game will be streamed live 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
