After a difficult start to the 2014 campaign, New Mexico’s confidence has not faltered.
UNM shot well against UTEP’s zone defense in a 72-57 victory on Sunday afternoon at Wise Pies Arena.
“Our confidence… We had a great week of practice and we carried that over to the game today and that’s what got us our win,” Owens said. “We were really anxious to get back home after a tough loss from New Mexico State,” junior guard Bryce Owens said.”
Despite beginning the season off 2-7, Owens said the team has not changed its approach. The squad only committed 11 turnovers against UTEP’s press that forces almost 18 turnovers per contest.
Although Owens had three of the team’s 11 turnovers, two coming late in the game, she made up for it with aggressive defense. The point guard collected four steals on the night in addition to blocking a shot in the 27 minutes of play.
The Lobos were in an unfamiliar position trotting into the locker room with a 39-28 lead. The Lobos had not led at halftime in the team’s previous eight games.
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Sanchez said tremendous preparation put the Lobos in good position early in the game.
“We worked on pressure and zone offense all week long,” Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said. “If our totals in shooting are that bad, people are going to play us zone.”
Sanchez’s heavy work against the zone paid off because UNM’s offense was clicking against the Miner’s zone coverage, shooting 47.3 percent from the field. Sanchez said her unit needed to prove they can shoot the ball in order for teams to respect the Lobos’ ability to hit shots outside of the paint.
Senior guard Antiesha Brown collected 18 points, the game-high. Brown also added two assists and two boards on Sunday without turning the ball over once. Sanchez said that was Brown’s breakout performance, even though she scored 22 points against NMSU (3-5).
“All the credit goes to my teammates,” Brown said. “I did what my role is to do and that is to knock down open shots and take whatever the defense gives me.”
While Brown didn’t comment on whether she thought it was the best game of her career, she was perfect from the charity stripe on five attempts in 31 minutes of play, leading the Lobos to its second win of the season.
Sanchez said the team’s ability to overcome the rocky start and stay focused with a strong desire to win impressed the fifth year head coach.
“It’s easy to get down when you’re 1-7,” Sanchez said. “We stay positive, we stay up and the players stay up. It was really nice to see today.”
The Lobos do not have the luxury seven days to prepare for Cal Poly (4-4). However, the Mustangs will be forced to take on New Mexico State before ending its trip to New Mexico against UNM on Thursday.
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.