Women's Basketball: Lobos prepare to take on UTEP

The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team will look to build on its four game winning streak when it welcomes the UTEP Miners to town on Wednesday at 7 p.m..

The Miners are 2-5 on the season and have lost five straight, most recently at home to Arkansas State last Saturday. However, those five losses have come by a combined 14 points, including losing by one on Saturday. It’s the first time in program history that the team has lost five straight games by five points or less. The Miners have already played New Mexico State, the one common opponent between the two this year, and lost by five at home, the first game of the losing streak.

"New Mexico is by far the best team we will face so far this season,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said in a release. “They are a very talented team with only one loss on the year. We are looking forward to the challenge of playing at The Pit and we hope to match the energy they will bring to the game. Our team continues to get better each time we take the floor and we are confident that we will do the same at UNM."

Zuzanna Puc and Ariona Gill are the team’s scoring leaders, each averaging 13.3 points per game. As a team, UTEP is averaging 64.1 points per game with their season high coming against Alcorn State at 77.

In last year’s matchup, the Miners held the Lobos to 59 points, one of their lowest totals of the season, and UTEP is finding similar success limiting opponents on the offensive end this season, giving up only 61 points per game.

UNM head coach Mike Bradbury said prior to the game against New Mexico State that he feels that his team is capable of finding success in low scoring games and winning in that style should the Lobos not be able to control the pace of the game.

The game will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network, and heard on the radio at 95.9 FM or 610 AM the Sports Animal.

Cameron Goeldner is a senior reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s soccer, women’s basketball, softball and the Albuquerque Isotopes, but also contributes content for all other sports. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter 
@goeldfinger.