After a 71-57 win against San Jose State to end New Mexico’s two-game losing skid, head coach Yvonne Sanchez said she is not looking past a winless Air Force squad on the road.
Sanchez said she knows the Falcons squad is no gimme. The last time Air Force was at home, the team barely fell to UNLV (11-7, 4-3 MW) in a 60-56 battle; a game Sanchez said the Falcons should have won.
“They play well at home,” Sanchez said. “They get every shot to go in. Everything goes their way, it seems like.”
Though the Lobos hold an all-time record of 36-2 against Air Force, Sanchez has headed a New Mexico squad that has dropped a contest on the road to the Falcons. The 52-47 loss came back in February of 2012, but it’s a game that UNM’s head coach has not been able to put out of her memory.
“I’ve coached a team that’s lost to Air Force and I don’t look past anybody,” Sanchez said. “I know these guys don’t either.”
Since the 2012 loss, the Lobos have pieced together five straight wins against Air Force.
For the Lobos to be successful in this showing, Sanchez said UNM can’t afford to be cautious, something the head coach said is a game plan for the remainder of the season.
“We’ve got to go in and be the aggressors,” Sanchez said. “We’ve got to go in and dictate what we want to do. “
The Lobos are coming off a win that showcased UNM’s potential on offense. It was the first time New Mexico was able to score more than 70 points in conference play.
Even though the offense shot for a high percentage in the contest, the win was not without offensive flaws. UNM turned the ball over 22 times and committed 30 personal fouls in Saturday’s game, something Sanchez said the team needs to continue to work on.
However, the head coach said after the route that the quality of shots UNM was getting may be the answer to the squad’s offensive woes.
Highlighting the offense was Khadijah Shumpert who reached an elite group that has scored 1,000 points and have collected 500 boards. Sanchez reiterated on practice on Monday that Shumpert’s success has not been one that is limited to this year as she will be talked about for years to come.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Shumpert’s nine rebound and 16 point game against San Jose has given the senior forward 535 total boards and 1,006 points.
Shumpert was not the only Lobo to have a sound game against the visiting Spartans as sophomore guard Cherise Beynon came through with her second double-double of the year, scoring 17 points and snagging 10 rebounds, both team highs.
Sanchez said the quality of practice has been more consistent since UNM’s 66-48 play when the Lobos trailed by just five points in the fourth quarter. Despite the increase in quality of play the past week and a half, Sanchez said she was underwhelmed by the effort in Monday’s practice.
“This week we were really consistent and we did a great job in that San Jose game,” Sanchez said. “I wasn’t real pleased with this practice, but Mondays are always a tough practice.”
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs.
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.
