After a thrilling come-from-ahead then come-from-behind win against UTEP, the Lobos travel down south to take on the NMSU Aggies again. While the Lobos have been a little up-and-down since the two teams first met a few weeks ago, the Aggies have been on a hot streak. Hopefully the Lobos can snap that streak to come out with a sweep of the season series.
Men’s Basketball Game 8: Illinois State
Fresh off of winning the 50th anniversary game for the Pit, the Lobos head back out on the road to take on Illinois State. This game is part of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge, where most of the teams from the two conferences are playing each other. It’s a good opportunity for the conference to prove its mid-major superiority, so hopefully the Lobos can do their part to help.
Women’s Basketball Game 6: At NMSU
The Lobos (2-3) are currently on a three-game losing streak, having lost at Texas Tech and two home games against Tulsa and Saint Joseph’s. They are looking to get back on track on the road against NMSU (4-2), who they dominated in their first meeting a couple of weeks ago, winning going away 84-55. In the first meeting, the Aggies had no answer for Rachelle van der Keijl, who finished the game with 19 points (9-12 FGs), 20 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. It would be safe to assume the Lobo coaching staff will make it a point to get van der Keijl and Jaisa Nunn involved early and often in this rematch. The Lobos also had great games from Alex Lapeyrolierie (22 points, 5-12 3P FGs) and great playmaking by Cherise Beynon, who tied a Lobo record with 15 assists.
Trends:
Since it has been a few games since we have caught up with the Lobos, here are a few of the trends that have caught my eye.
Good Trends:
- Rachelle van der Keijl has been fantastic early this season for the Lobos, leading the team with 16.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks a game. Look for Coach Bradbury to make a point to play through the post more as the season goes along.
- Jaisa Nunn has been great coming off the bench so far this season, teaming up with van der Keijl to form a great 1-2 scoring punch in the post. Nunn is averaging 12.4 points and 8.8 rebounds in 23 minutes a game. After not attempting a three-pointer last season Nunn is 2-7 (28.6%) from distance these first five games.
- The Lobos are shooting a lot of three-pointers, as expected. While they haven’t shot great from behind the line so far this season (28.8%), Alex Lapeyrolerie has been the one Lobo to shot well from distance, making 16-42 (38.1%). With the Lobos shooting three-pointers at such a high rate (26.4 attempts per game), if the Lobos can hit 10 threes a game, that would go a long way in being a high scoring team.
- While Cherise Beynon has struggled with her shot early this season, she has done well to make an impact setting up her teammates in good scoring chances and helping on the glass. So far this season, Beynon is averaging 8.6 points, 8.6 assists and 9 rebounds a game.
- The Lobos have had quarters where they have dominated their opponents. This shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the fast place they play at. When the Lobos are hitting shots from the outside and getting the ball inside, they are hard to stop and can build big leads in a hurry.
- The Lobos defense has done a good job limiting good looks for their opponents, holding them to 35.3% from the floor and 28.3% from the three-point line.
Bad Trends:
- Due to the lack of true point guards and great outside shooters, the Lobos can go through long droughts. During the Tulsa game, they scored 2 points during the second quarter. The Lobos will have occasional struggles scoring, but it isn’t because of style or lack of effort.
- Cherise Beynon has struggled from the floor so far this season, shooting 14-81 (17.3%) from the floor. I fully expect this number to go up, but the question will be how much, since last season Beynon shot barely over 30%. If the Lobos are able to shoot well the rest of the season, we could see Beynon being close to averaging a triple-double.
- Right now, the Lobos are averaging 14.8 turnovers a game, which isn’t horrible considering the pace they play at, but I would venture to guess that Coach Bradbury and staff would like to see that number closer to 12.
- The Lobos have struggled with turning their opponents over, with their opponents averaging only 11 a game. The Lobos need to find a way to force more turnovers to get in transition where our athletes should be able to get easy buckets.
Stat Comparison:
| Lobos | Aggies | |
| Points Per Game | 71.2 | 73.7 |
| Points Allowed Per Game | 65.2 | 61.8 |
| Rebounds Per Game/Margin | 51.6, +6.8 | 44.3, +1.0 |
| Assists Per Game | 16.6 | 16.8 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 14.8 | 15.3 |
| Steals Per Game | 4.2 | 12.2 |
| Blocks Per Game | 5.0 | 5.7 |
| Field Goal % | 37.6% | 39.4% |
| 3 Point% | 28.8% | 27.8% |
| Free Throw % | 55.7% | 67.7% |
| Opponent FG% | 35.3% | 35.3% |
| Opponent 3P FG% | 28.3% | 27.5% |
As we can see from the stats, these teams are evenly matched. I would be surprised if this isn’t a close game, unlike their first meeting in The PIT.
Prediction:
This should be a good matchup between the two Division I schools in the state. Due to the first meeting, I expect the Aggies coaching staff to make more adjustments than the Lobos to start the game. If changes aren’t made, we could see a repeat of the first meeting. I think this game is going to be a lot closer and will likely be a toss-up game between the two teams. I give the Lobos a 54% chance of winning the game, with the final being 79-75. Expect Cherise Beynon to make up for her bad shooting in the first meeting with a big game against the Aggies.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos (2-3) at New Mexico State Aggies (4-2)
When: Wednesday November 30, 5:30 PM MT
Where: Pan American Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Steam: ESPN3
Men’s Basketball Game 7: Abilene Christian
The Lobos return home from their trip to the Wooden Legacy to celebrate the Pit’s 50th anniversary tonight. They’ll do so by hosting Abilene Christian, who they played in the Pit’s first game, which is pretty cool. Hopefully the Lobos will be able to celebrate in style.
Men’s Basketball: Thoughts from the Wooden Legacy
The Lobos spent the holiday weekend in SoCal, playing in the Wooden Legacy against a tough field. They ended up getting 6th place after going 1-2 with a loss to Virginia Tech, a win against Cal State Northridge, and a loss to Dayton. In some ways, this outcome wasn’t surprising, as they lost to the teams they were expected to lose to and beat the team they were expected to beat, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t disappointing in its own right. But, now that it’s over, there are a few things that we’ve learned about the team from this early part of the season.
Football Game 12 Preview: Wyoming
The Lobos saw their five-game winning streak snapped last week up at Colorado State, which also ended any chance that they had of making the conference championship game. However, thanks to a Boise State loss to Air Force yesterday, the Lobos can still claim a share of the division title tonight against Wyoming. With it being senior night and with a title on the line, it could be an emotional night at University Stadium.
Men’s Basketball Wooden Legacy Preview
It’s time for the Lobos’ annual trip to a holiday tournament, and this year they’re headed to Orange County for the Wooden Legacy. It’s a stacked field with a lot of good opportunities for wins, so hopefully the Lobos can take advantage. Because it’s a holiday and I’ll be in a cabin in the woods, instead of individual game previews, I’m just going to take a look at the tournament as a whole.
Football Game 11 Preview: Colorado State
Five in a row, a 7-3 record overall, and still in the hunt for a division title. This season has been wild and frustrating and thrilling all at the same time and it almost feels like there’s not much more we can ask out of the Lobos. But here we are, with only two games left in the season, and I’m personally feeling greedy and want to see just how much success this team can have. They have some tough games coming up, this week at Colorado State and next week hosting Wyoming, but they’re both winnable. Let’s get this one first and make it six in a row.
Men’s Basketball Game 3: NMSU
After a successful first weekend, the Lobos get back to action on Friday, when they’ll host in-state rival New Mexico State. This rivalry always seems to produce tense games, and this one should be no different. Hopefully that makes for a very, very loud Pit.
Men’s Soccer NCAA Tournament Preview
The road is set for the Lobos (12-6-2) to make a run to the College Cup in Houston. Coming off the Conference USA Tournament Championship, the Lobos are clicking as a team at the perfect time and could be ready for an exciting NCAA Tournament. After a couple of bad weeks in the middle of the season, the Lobos have gone 5-0-2 in their last seven matches including 2-0-1 against NCAA Tournament teams. The Lobos have the talent to play with any team in the country, which gives them the possibility of making a run to the College Cup.