Following a ten day break New Mexico turned around and gutted out a 51-47 road win at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada. The Lobos had ample amount of time to think about their 52-47 second half collapse against New Mexico State on Dec. 20. However, head coach Yvonne Sanchez said she liked the way her team responded to the loss.
New Mexico needed a get-right game. On Wednesday, it got right. Far from flawless, the Lobos did enough to put the four straight Christmastime losses behind them and opened the Mountain West slate with a 88-76 victory over Nevada at WisePies Arena. Where UNM (8-6, 1-0 MW) excelled was in a 25-2 first-half run that followed a slow start.
The time has come for New Mexico to stop dwelling on its second half collapse which merited New Mexico State’s season sweep over the Lobos. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez has bigger plans with conference play on the horizon.
New Mexico head coach Craig Neal is quick to remind everybody the youth on this year’s Lobos squad, even calling it the youngest in nine years. In every game this year, the Lobos started three sophomores – two of them redshirts – and two juniors.
New Mexico hit a slump heading into the Mountain West schedule after dropping three games in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The sweep at the tournament extends a Lobo losing streak to four straight games when coupled with nonconference home loss to Rice, a game where UNM called a timeout it didn’t have just prior to the end of regulation.
UNM announced Tuesday afternoon that New Mexico Director of Operations for men’s basketball Cody Hopkins is currently on a leave of absence as the university undergoes an internal investigation for the use of his purchasing card. The New Mexico Athletic Department is working together with UNM Internal Auditing to review Hopkins’ P-card, in a statement released by UNM Athletics.
New Mexico’s 52-47 loss to NMSU was defined by both head coaches as a game of toughness. For NMSU, a resilient effort in a physical game. For UNM, a complete mental collapse down the stretch in the final nonconference game of the season.
New Mexico now has its own Chris Webber moment. Holding a 17-point second-half edge, Saturday night at WisePies Arena UNM got sloppy and allowed Rice to surge back.
New Mexico head coach Yvonne Sanchez wouldn’t classify the two game series against NMSU as a traditional rivalry. Sanchez said there is a lot of mutual respect between the 225 miles that separate Las Cruces and Albuquerque. With that said, the head coach deemed the final in-state clash as an important indicator for her squad.
New Mexico senior Kahdijah Shumpert propelled her team to a 72-53 road victory over the Minnesota Gophers on Wednesday night in Shumpert’s return to her home state.
The Rio Grande Rivalry continues to be a one-sided affair. New Mexico yet again swept the yearly home-and-home series with in-state foe New Mexico State Wednesday night at WisePies Arena, capturing a 79-61 victory over the Aggies. The win marks the 15th time in the last 18 meetings where the Lobos prevailed.
Sometimes it can be tougher to win the second Rio Grande Rivalry game against New Mexico State, especially after taking the first meeting. The challenge, UNM coach Neal said, stems some over-analysis and second-guessing on what to do differently in Game Two.
After a week off with Finals Week on campus, the New Mexico women’s basketball team beat Pepperdine 60-52 at WisePies Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Lobos (6-3) played an ugly game despite the win, shooting 17 of 34 from the free throw line as a team.
Under coach Craig Neal, New Mexico doesn’t start out in zone defense often. Only three times since he’s been here have the Lobos opened a game in zone. On Saturday against a potent Northern Iowa offense, the Lobos went zone early and found success. The defense in turn slowed the Panthers to 44 percent shooting in a 76-57 Lobo victory at WisePies Arena.
Coming off a big road win in Dallas Texas, New Mexico had a week off to focus on key issues in the team’s game. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said the 63-58 victory over SMU was a pinnacle win for the Lobos early in the season.
By the time Saturday rolls around the fall semester – final exams and all – will come to a close.
New Mexico’s two-game slip came to a close after beating the SMU Mustangs 63-58 on Saturday night in Dallas, Texas. The first quarter was the start UNM needed, going up 15-8 after starting slow in the previous two contests. The hot first quarter didn’t correlate with the rest of the first half as New Mexico’s defense appeared to hit a brick wall in the second quarter. The Lobos were outscored 24-15 in that period, finding themselves in a 32-30 hole at the half.
No. 11 Purdue limited New Mexico to less than 60 points for the first time this season in a 70-58 loss Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Indiana. Prior to Saturday UNM (5-2) had scored 75 points or more through its first six games, but ran into Boilermaker squad who had yet to lose.
The Lobos haven’t lost back-to-back games in nearly 11 months. On Wednesday night, that came to a close in a 70-62 loss against UTEP. After falling to Duquesne in a 78-69 4th quarter let down, the Lobos responded with a sluggish first half in El Paso. It was the first time the Lobos dropped consecutive games since opening conference play with losses to Fresno State on December 31, 2014 and to Colorado State on January 3, 2015.
Focus and defense are on New Mexico’s mind as the team ventures across the state boarder to take on undefeated UTEP on Wednesday night. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said the team is going to play with a big chip on its shoulder as the team heads to El Paso, Texas to take on the undefeated Miners. The Lobos are coming off a bitter 78-69 loss in the title game of UNM’s annual Thanksgiving tournament.
Solutions by The State News
