Lobo teams to play BYU

Staff Report

Both of UNM’s basketball teams will see action this weekend, as the men hit the road for a 4 p.m. game against Brigham Young University Saturday, while the women also entertain BYU in The Pit Saturday at 7 p.m.

The men have lost two straight games on the road, to Stanford University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, but have not lost three straight road games since the 1997-98 season.

UNM is 13-5 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain West Conference after losing 82-78 to Wyoming Monday in The Pit. The Lobos are 3-3 on the road this year.

BYU is 14-6 overall and also 3-2 in Mountain West play, tied with the Lobos and UNLV for second place. BYU has won 16 straight games at home, with its last home loss coming against New Mexico — 78-74 on Feb. 17.

Guard Eric Chatfield leads the Lobos in scoring with a 16.3 points per game average but only has scored 43 points in the team’s last five games. Ruben Douglas has emerged as a scoring threat for UNM, scoring more than 15 points per game, and he’s led the team in scoring its last four games.

The Cougars have three players averaging double-figures in points, including guards Terrell Lyday and Trent Whiting, who average 15.4 and 15.7 points per game, respectively, and 6-foot-9-inch forward Mekeli Wesley, who scores 16 points per game.

The UNM women’s basketball team (13-7, 4-2 Mountain West Conference) returns home to face BYU on Saturday. After facing the Cougars (10-8, 2-3), UNM won’t play again until it meets the Air Force Academy in The Pit Feb. 10.

UNM has won four of its last five games, with its most recent loss coming at the hands of Colorado State University Jan. 27, which ended the Lobos’ season best four-game winning streak. The Lobos have beaten BYU in four of their last six meetings and have won six straight against the Cougars in The Pit. Last season, the teams split the series with each winning at home.

UNM is led by sophomore center Jordan Adams, who averages a team-high 15.9 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. Adams has scored in double figures in 18 of 20 games this season and is also averaging 2.9 blocks per game. However, she was held scoreless against Colorado State.

BYU is led by sophomore guard Erin Thorn, who is second in the Mountain West Conference with a 16.4 points per game average. She is also contributing 4.8 rebounds per game and averages 3.3 assists per game for the Cougars.

Both games can be heard on the radio, with the men’s game on 770 KKOB-AM and the women’s game on 610 KNML-AM. The men’s game will be televised locally on KRQE-TV, channel 13, starting at 4 p.m.