While the UNM women's basketball team may not know how it will fare in its final two games of the season this weekend, it does know bumps and bruises are in the forecast.
The Lobos will be getting physical with the University of Wyoming Thursday in Laramie, Wyo., because it's the Cowgirls' style of play.
"On cuts, they grab and push; in the post, they grab; it's an all-around physical game," sophomore forward Melissa Forest said. "That's the way they play because they're not the most . and neither are we . but they're not the most athletic team."
Wyoming's physical play can be seen in its rebounding prowess. Although they sport a 4-8 conference record, the Cowgirls have the second-best rebounding margin during that time, grabbing 3.5 more boards per game than their opponents. They also are the second-best offensive rebounding club in the Mountain West, averaging 14 offensive rebounds per game.
Forest said she welcomes the kind of physical action the team will see Thursday.
"Personally, I like the physical play, so I'm looking forward to it," she said. "Our posts are just as strong, and we're bigger than they are."
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UNM is no slouch on the glass either. The Lobos have the best rebounding margin in the conference with 5.8 more rebounds per game than its opponents. They also trail Wyoming in offensive rebounds at 13.58 per game.
Head coach Don Flanagan said the Lobos have to do one thing - block out. Flanagan said he was not happy with the team's execution on the glass in UNM's 56-41 win against the Cowgirls Feb. 2 in The Pit, as Wyoming grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and 44 for the game.
"It's simpler said than done, but you have to block out," Flanagan said. "I don't think we did a good job the first time. They got a lot of rebounds against us."
The Lobos come into Thursday's game tied with the University of Nevada at Las Vegas for second place in the conference and trail Colorado State University by a game.
The possible outcomes seem almost endless for UNM, which could win the conference outright or fall as low as fourth place, but it can take care of a lot of those scenarios if it wins the rest of its games.
The team will benefit from the improved health of junior center Jordan Adams. After battling back problems for a about a month, Adams has averaged 16 points per game the past three games.
But when Adams' production slipped, the Lobos found other players to pick up the scoring load. In a six game stretch after Adams' injury, five different Lobos led the team in scoring, including Adams, and the team went 5-1 during that stretch.
Adams said that stretch of games has helped ease the burden for her, especially as opponents' defenses took their focus elsewhere.
"People have seen me not score and they're not double teaming me anymore," Adams said. "I've noticed it these past few games, and I don't think Wyoming doubled me last game either and BYU stopped because I haven't been a threat lately."
Wyoming counters with 6-foot junior forward Carrie Bacon, the Cowgirls leading scorer at 13.6 points per game.
Against the Lobos on Feb. 2, she pumped in 14 points to lead the way for the Cowgirls. However, the Cowgirls were hampered by 20 percent shooting, including 12 consecutive missed shots in the first half.
Another key factor Thursday will be the play of Wyoming sharpshooter Carly Stucky. She is fourth in conference play in 3-pointers made at 2.08 per game and is fourth in scoring at 8.5 points per contest.
In a 64-62 loss to CSU Saturday, Stucky scored seven points and made one trey. In the three previous games, she hit 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Flanagan said she is the person the Lobos must account for at all times.
"Stucky's the type of person that we call a 'no-catch person,'" Flanagan said. "That means we're really going to help very little off of Stucky just because she can shoot so well."
UNM's game against Wyoming starts at 5 p.m. Thursday and will be broadcasted on the radio by 610 KNML-AM.
