New Mexico’s defensive prowess was once again on display in one of the best team performances the Lobos have had all year.
Things were clicking on the offensive side of the ball for New Mexico in its 63-33 victory over Air Force on Wednesday. However, holding the Falcons to just eight points in the first half was the main reason why UNM walked out of Colorado Springs with a victory.
Head coach Yvonne Sanchez was very pleased with the defensive performance in the first 20 minutes of play at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs. After intermission, she said she was forced to call some unfortunate substitution timeouts because the team came out of the locker room without enough fire.
“I didn’t like the third quarter, that’s what I didn’t like. We didn’t come out aggressive,” Sanchez said in a phone interview. “We’ve got to get a little bit more mature when it comes to that. However, eight points in the first half is incredible.”
The offense has had its recent struggles, forcing UNM to play one-dimensional defensive basketball. That has not been the case in the past two games as UNM’s offense has been shooting the ball well from the field, translating to a more aggressive approach.
Although Sanchez said she was pleased with the team’s performance, the head coach added that the Lobos still have plenty of work to do in regards to protecting the ball.
“We haven’t seen that kind of pressure in a while,” Sanchez said of the Falcons’ defense. “I think we had a little bit too many turnovers, but other than that we had 15 assists and 11 turnovers, that was good.”
UNM’s 11 turnovers against Air Force (0-18, 0-7 MW) was quite an improvement from the 22 turnovers committed on Saturday against San Jose State.
The ability to handle the Falcons’ pressure was a key contributor to the offensive success, an identity the team has been searching for since the start of league play. Shooting an impressive 48.2 percent from the field while producing more assists than turnovers lead to UNM’s dominating performance.
The Lobos spread the wealth offensively as only two players who entered the game didn’t score. Everyone else who entered hit at least one bucket.
Center Jaisa Nunn led the way again for New Mexico with her 12 points. Forward Kianna Keller was another bright spot for the Lobos’ interior game as she led both teams with eight boards.
Air Force’s guard/forward Dee Bennett led all scorers with her 13 point effort.
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Sanchez said prior to Wednesday night’s contest that the Lobos could not overlook a winless Air Force team solely based on its record. She knew the Falcons had the ability to play teams close and in her postgame interview Sanchez said she knows Air Force will beat some teams.
“We knew how dangerous they were,” she said. “I like the fact that we played defense, the first half was incredible.”
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.
