Lack of talent isn’t New Mexico’s offensive problem head coach Yvonne Sanchez said. As far as solving the issue, the head coach says she is working on it.
Following New Mexico’s heartbreaking 69-65 double overtime loss to Fresno State in WisePies Arena on Jan. 2, Sanchez said it wasn’t the team’s defense that was the issue, it was the inability to convert offensively.
“I think our defense has been really good and has kept us in games,” Sanchez said. “But they’ve got to relax and shoot.”
Sanchez has stressed the importance of taking care of the ball, which her team did by only committing 14 turnovers in a game that warranted two additional five minute periods. However, even though the Lobos took 23 more shots than the visiting Bulldogs, UNM shot a mere 23-78 from the field.
Shooting just below 30 percent isn’t likely to warrant many wins, but Sanchez said it wasn’t missing 55 shots in the contest that blew the game, it was the missed shots at the charity stripe.
New Mexico (8-5, 1-1 MW) wasn’t even close to the 75 percent goal the team strives for each contest. UNM was 16-30 from the free throw line, something Sanchez said really irked her.
Sanchez said she did not force the issue at practice this week because she knows her squad will come around, it will just take time. Instead, Sanchez said she and the coaches worked on more individual stuff with the intentions of building confidence.
Utah State on Saturday
While Sanchez is going to allow the offensive spark to ignite on its own, the team will have its hands full with the Mountain West’s top-scorer playing in front of the Utah State faithful on Saturday night.
Funda Nakkasoglu leads the league with a 21.1 point per showing in the Aggies’ 14 games this year. She has also dished out 4.9 assists on the year, giving Utah State (6-8, 1-2 MW) the third highest scoring team in the conference with 71.5 points per game.
Although the Lobos’ offense falls pretty far down the list of potent offenses, UNM’s defense is in the top three, trailing Colorado State and UNLV for the top-tiered defenses in conference.
New Mexico contained Nakkasoglu in the last matchup between the two squads, holding last year’s freshman of the year to just 12 points. Sanchez is searching for a similar result this time around.
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“We’ve got to defend the high ball screen with her, we’ve got to defend her in transition and we can’t foul her,” Sanchez said. “She’s a very very good offensive player.”
Though just a sophomore, Nakkasoglu finished third in the conference in scoring, while ranking 68th in the nation for her ability to finish at the rim.
Chavez out, Nunn returns
UNM will be without one of the team’s best defenders down low as Alexa Chavez has caught the injury bug this season. Sanchez said Chavez’s tear around the Achilles tendon is a non-surgical one and will just pose for some discomfort.
During Thursday’s press conference, Sanchez said she will be looking to get her walk-on senior forward out of a boot and into the underwater treadmill as soon as possible to work on Chavez’s recover.
With Chavez out, freshman standout Jaisa Nunn was brought back on the court after missing the past two contests due to a concussion. She was cleared to come back on Monday, something Sanchez said was really good to see.
After seven days of focusing on a double-overtime loss, Sanchez said her team is ready to face a tough road test in Logan, Utah on Saturday.
“I think we’re ready to play,” Sanchez said. “I think we’re ready to get in there and play.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball, and beach volleyball. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
