UNM will face off against the San Diego State Aztecs and will immediately forge ahead to UNLV (10-13, 7-5 Mountain West) on Saturday without coming back to Albuquerque in between. Although the Lobos beat SDSU at home earlier in the season, UNM head coach Yvonne Sanchez said the Aztecs are not the same team the Lobos faced on Jan. 7.
“They’re not just settling for jump shots and 3s. They’re really pounding the ball inside,” Sanchez said. “That’s why they’re playing better basketball right now.”
SDSU is currently coming off two road losses against Wyoming (12-11, 7-6 MW) and Colorado State (18-6, 10-3 MW), the team tied with UNM atop the conference.
UNM’s confidence is soaring thanks to a seven-game win streak. Sanchez said the team is not surrounded by a single player leading to the team’s success.
“We are playing well. We’ve played well at home and well enough to win on the road,” Sanchez said. “Even if we’re not shooting well from the floor, I think our defense is picking us up. That’s what we’re going to have to rely on.”
The last time the Lobos and Aztecs (9-15, 6-7 MW) faced off, SDSU keyed on junior guard Bryce Owens and held her to just five points. However, Owens said her squad needs to have a short-term memory and play the Aztecs with a clean slate.
“We have to go in and play them like this is our first time,” Owens said. “They’re prepared for us and we’re prepared for them.”
Sanchez said defensively, she expects SDSU to try to shut down a particular player like the squad did in the first game. However, she said whoever the Aztecs shift their focus to, won’t affect the UNM’s game plan.
“They’ll do some junk defenses that we’ll have to be ready for,” Sanchez said. “We’re not a one-person team. If they take one person away, we will have her screen and screen and screen and get other people open.”
As for what the Lobos (14-10, 10-3 MW) will be focused on, Owens said the defense needs to be ready for any of the SDSU players to step up. Although the Aztecs aren’t surrounded by a superstar player, Owens said they are not a team hindered from a lack of talent.
“They definitely have some great threats on their team,” Owens said. “If we can stay defensive-minded and disciplined, I think we’ll be great.”
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Team defense has been the main reason the Lobos have garnered a shared first place in the conference. However, New Mexico is not allowing the top spot in the Mountain West to blur the team’s goals.
“It’s a great honor to be tied for first place right now, but we can’t let that slow us down and we can’t be satisfied,” Owens said. “People are going to say stuff about us if we are hot or we are not, but we have to stay together as a team.”
Sanchez said the Lobos may be eyeing the standings more if there were fewer games left, but the tough competition ahead has her unit preoccupied to focus on where the team will finish in the regular season.
“There are a lifetime of games left,” Sanchez said. “Our kids are just taking it one game at a time and getting better.”
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.
