The Lobo women's basketball team will get back to business Thursday in its first conference game after nearly a week off during the holidays.
The Lobos (4-6) and Fresno State (7-4) have played each other very evenly in the series history, but last year the Bulldogs earned a sweep over the Lobos. Fresno State won its first matchup 69-65 at WisePies Arena and then won again later in the season 51-43 on its home court.
The pair of wins gave the Bulldogs a 10-9 overall advantage and improved their home record to 7-1 against the Lobos. New Mexico has not won a road game all season (0-3) and will likely be eager to buck that trend.
The most recent loss came at Marquette where the Lobos played well for most of the game but fell last Wednesday, 52-62. The team has a chance to pick up its play and start its quest for a conference championship now that Mountain West play is underway.
One of the biggest keys to the game for New Mexico has been rebounding the basketball. When the Lobos outrebound opponents they are 4-1, but when the roles are reversed the team has failed to garner a win, going 0-5 in those games.
Marquette outpaced New Mexico by 14 on the boards, with 16 of its 53 rebounds coming on the offensive end. That into a 12-1 advantage in second chance points.
The Lobos are still a dominant force on the glass with three of the top five rebounders in the Mountain West wearing the cherry and silver—seniors Richelle van der Keijl and Kianna Keller and junior guard Cherise Beynon.
The rebounding game could be a useful tool for the Lobos against Fresno State. The Lobos are averaging 47.3 rebounds per game to Fresno State’s 38.9 so far this season.
Van der Keijl is leading the Lobos in a plethora of categories. She has averaged a double-double by leading the team in rebounds per game (10.6), points per game (15.2) and blocks per game (2.3).
However, she will have her hands full squaring off against arguably Fresno State’s best player, junior center Bego Faz Davalos.
Faz Davalos, a native of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, leads Fresno State in nearly every statistical category. She has a team-high in points per game (16.27), rebounds (11.9), assists (3.1) and blocks (4.18). Her rebounds and blocks are also tops in the Mountain West.
For the Lobos to beat Fresno State, they'll likely need multiple scorers to step up need to have big time scorers other than van der Keijl. That means that Beynon will need to put up a good game scoring wise.
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Beynon – who has been rather inconsistent with her scoring this season – scored nine points against Marquette. Although she's second in scoring for the Lobos (14.2), her stats have been skewed by some up-and-down performances.
Although she may still be looking for her shooting touch, one thing Beynon has done consistently is distribute the ball. She leads the Lobos in assists per game (7.6).
3-point shooting could also be an area for improvement and an "x-factor" in determining the winner. Both teams have capable long-range shooters, but the Lobos are averaging just 28.1 percent as a team from beyond the arc, while the Bulldogs are at 27.8.
The game could be the first step in making the adjustments to propel the team to a conferece title run. Tip-off is 8 p.m. in Fresno, California and the contest will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Matthew Narvaiz is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women's basketball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
