Facing off against UNLV’s aggressive style defense is problematic for any team in the Mountain West, let alone New Mexico’s struggling offense.
LoboHead coach Yvonne Sanchez said in Tuesday’s press conference that the team has yet to find that go-to player on the offensive side of the ball, despite having two prime candidates -- sophomore guard Cherise Beynon and senior forward Khadijah Shumpert -- with abilities to take over games.
“It’s that go to player that we really haven’t had this year,” Sanchez said. “We’ve got to get better post production aside from Khadijah, and we’ve got to get better guard production aside from Cherise.”
Beynon showcased her ability to dominate offensively in New Mexico’s 72-56 loss to Utah State on Saturday. Despite UNM’s inability to consistently score buckets as a whole, Beynon put up 21 points hitting seven of her 16 attempts, four being from beyond the 3-point arc.
Sanchez said she has added additional play calls to highlight Beynon and Shumpert to offer the two playmakers additional looks. Although Beynon said she feels a sense of added pressure, she is not going to change her approach and will remain patient with the additional plays designed for her in particular.
“Our offense has been one of our downfalls, unfortunately,” Beynon said. “We just need to be poised on offense, execute it… and just step up offensively and show that we can score.”
Shumpert has the ability to ignite UNM’s offense with her team-beat 14.3 scoring average, highlighted by six games where she scored more than 20. However, teams often look to limit the senior’s production in the post with double teams and utilizing Shumpert’s aggressiveness to put her in foul trouble.
UNM will need Shumpert to stay away from any hacking tendencies this game, as the squad is facing off against the Lady Rebels’ Mountain West best 8.3 rebounding margin.
“They will climb on your back, jump over you, whatever it takes to get the ball,” Shumpert said. “Not playing into their game in that aspect and getting called for it and finding myself on the bench… That’s something I’m going to have to be prepared for.”
Shumpert has fouled out four of the team’s 14 games this year in addition to reaching four fouls on five separate occasions. She said it will be tough to contain her emotions in a game in which the players consider to be a rivalry.
For Beynon, the game is more than a rivalry between two schools.
“I get excited when I play against them, just because it’s my hometown,” Beynon said. “I feel like I have to prove myself.”
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UNLV and UNM share the same record (8-6, 1-2 MW) in addition to their similar styles of play. The Lady Rebels rank second in conference allowing opponents to score just 57.6 points per contest. UNM sits just below No. 3 in the league allowing 60.6 points per showing.
In anticipation for the physical defensive game, Sanchez said she is looking to get back on the winning track and she will need her two most potent offensive players to do so.
“I don’t think they realize that we’re one of the teams to beat and people are feeling confident enough to do that,” Sanchez said. “So we’ve got to get that confidence back.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball, and beach volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
