As the preseason comes to a close, women’s basketball Head Coach Yvonne Sanchez said she feels confident about her team’s ability to succeed going into the regular season.
The Lobos faced New Mexico Highlands for their second and final exhibition game of the preseason, in which they dominated in an 80-39 victory. The team comes off a strong first exhibition game in a 78-41 win against Western New Mexico.
“We did better than I thought, really,” Sanchez said. “I didn’t expect blowouts by any of the teams.”
Jaisa Nunn, a 6-foot-3 freshman center from Kirkland, Washington, was a particularly strong component of the Lobos on Saturday, grabbing seven rebounds and 14 points for the team.
“I was just out there having fun, so it didn’t really occur to me that I had 14 points,” she said.
Guard Cherise Beynon showed up that night as well, scoring 13 points and shooting 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Two exhibition blowout wins can make it difficult for a team to gauge where they’re at going into the regular season.
“We are not seeing the entire extent of what we are going to face, so they are a little bit hard to evaluate,” Sanchez said.
However, Sanchez said she knows what needs work moving forward.
“The biggest thing for us is running motion,” she said. “I’m not going to limit players: If you’re open in range and your feet are set, you can shoot the ball, and I don’t want to limit that to post guards alike.”
The two wins definitely inspire confidence in the women’s abilities as they begin the regular season.
“I think that they have worked hard, and I think that they’re ready for anything that’s coming ahead of them.” Sanchez said. “We’re never ready, it seems like; and to start off with a team like Houston Baptist, it’s going to be fun.”
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One thing is clear: the women’s basketball program is starting the 2015 season with much to look forward to.
“We haven’t done this in a long time, so I think it’s good,” Sanchez said. “It is a little tough to evaluate, but we haven’t done this in an exhibition game in a long time.”
The Lobos will begin their regular season opener against Houston Baptist on Friday at 8 p.m. at WisePies Arena aka The Pit.
Alexiss Adams is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AlexissAdams.
