Defense was the order of the day for the Lobos on Friday, Nov. 15. Their strong effort was a huge part of their 85-56 win against the Western New Mexico University Mustangs. The Lobos finished the game with 13 steals and six blocks.
Head Coach Mike Bradbury said he was very satisfied with his team's defensive performance during the night.
“We were good in transition and it was good to see,” Bradbury said. “It led to some easy baskets.”
The first quarter was a rocky start for the Lobos offensively. They shot a mediocre 36% from the field and a measly 3-12 — 25% — from three. With their shot not falling at the best rate, the Lobos’ defense had to step up — and step up it did.
The Lobos displayed lockdown defense, which contributed to them building a 7-point lead to end the quarter.
The second quarter was all gas and no breaks on the defensive side. The Lobos were getting steal after steal, and they were swatting shots away at the rim. With the defense forcing turnovers, it led to quick transition points on the other end.
This helped the Lobos offensively, as they finished the second quarter shooting 9-15 — 60%. The effort on both sides of the ball seemed to overwhelm the Mustangs, as the Lobos had a huge 18-point lead going into the half.
The last two quarters were reminiscent of how the Lobos played in the second. While in the third, the Lobos’ defense slowed down. The offense kept up its rhythm, which in turn kept the game in the Lobos’ hands, as they had a 20-point lead at the end of the quarter.
Leading by 20 going into the final quarter, the Lobos’ defense woke up again, which only added insult to injury for Western New Mexico. On top of that, the Lobos’ offense still wasn’t holding any punches back. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lobos walked off the court victorious.
Four of the Lobo starters finished the night in double figures: Hulda Joaquim, Destinee Hooks, Alyssa Hargrove and Vianè Cumber. Hargrove also had herself a night on the defensive side, with four steals and one block, along with some hustle plays.
For Hargrove, defense gets her in her groove, she said.
“It helps get my team in a flow,” Hargrove said. “I think it helps motivate us all.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
With the win, the Lobos now advance to 2-2 on the season. Their next game is against South Carolina State University at The Pit on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Coach Bradbury will look to his team to play very well in upcoming games, as they will all be against tough opponents, he said.
“All these teams were picked to win their league, so we're going to have to be really good to be competitive in all of them,” Bradbury said.
Rodney Prunty is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05
