Khadijah Shumpert wanted to make the most of her homecoming game, and boy did she ever. When the Lobos went on the road to play the University of Minnesota, many didn’t expect the Lobos to go on the road and beat a very solid team, much less by 19 points. The Lobos had control for most of the game and every time they took a punch from the Gophers, the Lobos had the answer. They did this by sticking to their game plan, running great offense, and forcing the Gophers into tougher shots then they wanted to. With the 72-53 road win, the Lobos improved to 7-3 and they now have the chance to finish the non-conference schedule 8-3 if they can beat NMSU on Sunday.
Category: Lobo Basketball
Men’s Basketball vs. NMSU Recap (Game 2)
The sun still rises in the east, water is still wet, and the Lobos are still better than the Aggies at basketball. For the 15th time in the 18 games since the Alford/Neal era began, the Lobos beat the Aggies, this time with a convincing 79-61 victory. With this win, the Lobos moved to 7-2 on the season, remained undefeated in the Pit, and continued looking like a team on the rise.
Women’s Basketball at Minnesota Preview
The Lobos (6-3), winners of two straight, will hit the road to The University of Minnesota (6-2), who will probably be the best team the Lobos will face this season. It will be important for the Lobos to take care of the basketball and make the most of every single offensive possession to give them a good shot to win this game. It can’t be stressed enough how important it is for Khadijah Shumpert and Cherise Beynon to have great games and to stay out of foul trouble, as they have been the heart and soul of this Lobo team. I think the Lobos have a chance in this game, but it will have to be their best performance of the season. Read more
Men’s Basketball vs. NMSU: Round 2 Preview
Following a really nice win against a very good Northern Iowa team, the Lobos turn back around to face the NMSU Aggies in the return game of the Rio Grande Rivalry series. The Lobos won the game down south last month 83-74, so the Aggies will be coming up here hoping to avoid a sweep. The Lobos, on the other hand, have already grabbed their brooms.
Men’s Basketball vs. Northern Iowa Recap
On Saturday night, the Lobos hosted a very good Northern Iowa Panthers team in what felt like the sort of game that could decide which team ends up on which side of the bubble come tournament time. Well, if that ends up being the case, the Lobos made a statement as to which side they think they should be on by winning 76-57.
Women’s Basketball vs. Pepperdine Recap
The Lobos’ game Saturday against Pepperdine was all about defense, as they used their defense and energy to improve to 6-3 on the season by winning 60-52. The Lobos controlled the first half, holding Pepperdine to 15 first half points and limiting Pepperdine to just 16.67% (4-24) shooting. The Lobos shot over 40% in each half to control the game from the opening tip. If there’s one thing that the Lobos didn’t do well in the game, it was shooting 17-34 from the free throw line. Pepperdine also struggled from the line shooting 19-36, so both teams have to feel like they left something on the table there.
Women’s Basketball vs. Pepperdine Preview
The Lobos (5-3) return to action at WisePies Arena AKA The PIT to face Pepperdine University Waves (4-6). Because they had the week off for Finals Week, the Lobos haven’t played since their two-game Texas road trip. The Lobos are coming off a great road win against a solid SMU team while the Waves, after starting the year 2-6, are on a two-game winning streak. Look for the Lobos to make Pepperdine work hard on both sides of the court to take advantage of the elevation. It is important for the Lobos that Khadijah Shumpert stays out of foul trouble, especially after seeing her pick up her 4th foul in the first minute of the third quarter in the last game. While the Lobos can find production from other post players, it is always a benefit to have your best player on the court for a large majority of the game.
Men’s Basketball vs. Northern Iowa Preview
It’s been a whole week since the Lobos last hit the court, in their hard-fought loss at Purdue, so I think that the team, the coaches, and certainly the fans are ready to see them back in action. They’ll face another tough challenge on Saturday when Northern Iowa visits the Pit.
Women’s Basketball: The Story So Far
As they finish the fall semester and get ready for their three games during their holiday schedule, the Lady Lobos find themselves sitting at 5-3. This will be their last stretch to get ready for conference play, which starts December 30th. While it is most likely the Mountain West Conference is once again a one-bid league, the Lobos have positioned themselves as one of the favorites to win the regular season championship, or at least end up with a high seed for the conference tournament. That said, I think that it is imperative for the Lobos to win their last three non-conference game, as I think that it would make it possible for them to become an at-large team if they ended up with two or less loses in conference play and end up with a loss in the conference championship game. I don’t think the Lobos want to put their NCAA Tournament chances in the hand of the selection committee, so the goal is clearly to win the MWC Tournament to get the automatic bid. But, before all that, let’s look back at the first eight games of the schedule and some scattered thoughts that I have had during the first month of the season.
Men’s Basketball at Purdue Recap
The Lobos went up to West Lafayette yesterday to play a toue team and played them even for 30 minutes before Purdue was finally able to pull away. It never feels good to lose, but their strong performugh Purdance against such a good team was a good sign for how this Lobo team is going to perform for the rest of the season.