7th-seeded Lobos to face No. 6 Boise State today in MWC semis

What can you do for an encore?

Coming off easily its best showing of the season, the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team spent Thursday gearing up for another big performance.

The seventh-seeded Lobos pulled off a shocker in Wednesday’s first round of the Mountain West Conference tournament, knocking off No. 2 UNLV on its home court, the Thomas & Mack Center. It was the first time in tournament history a No. 7 seed has toppled a No. 2.

	Today MWC tournament semifinals: UNM vs. Boise State, 3:30 p.m. TV: The Mtn. Radio: KNML-AM (610)

UNM faces another upset winner in today’s semifinals. No. 6 Boise State ousted No. 3 Colorado State in a crazy opening round that ended with just one of the top four seeds (No. 1 San Diego State) still standing.

“(Aztecs coach) Beth Burns is probably licking her chops right now,” UNM coach Yvonne Sanchez said in a phone interview. “But on the other hand, this might not be a good tournament to be a higher seed.”

That won’t be a problem for New Mexico (10-19), but keeping a thin, wounded lineup energized long enough to win three tournament games is another matter.

The Lobos went through only a light workout Thursday in preparation for Boise State. They spent considerable time watching video of the Broncos, but Sanchez did not see the benefit of a full practice.

“We’ve still got so many people beat up,” Sanchez said. “I think we needed to rest and keep as much in the tank for (today) as possible.”

After practice, the Lobos opted to take in a couple of Las Vegas shows. First, they visited the pawn shop featured in the reality TV show “Pawn Stars.” Next, they attended Thursday night’s UNM-Air Force men’s quarterfinal.

“I think they earned a little fun,” Sanchez said. “They were very focused when we watched film. We’ll be ready for Boise State.”

The Broncos (15-15) won both regular-season games against UNM and averaged 66.5 points in the process. Sanchez does not want to see BSU finish in the high 60s again today.

“Boise’s an offensive-minded team,” Sanchez said. “They run a lot of sets, have several good shooters and really execute their offense. They want to outscore you.”

Post Lauren Lenhardt and guard Katy Isham are the big guns for Boise State, but other players can produce if defenses overcommit to Lenhardt and Isham. Wing Nicole Brady, for example, torched UNM for 19 points in the Broncos’ 68-64 win in Albuquerque.

Sanchez hopes UNM’s defense can effectively disrupt Boise’s offense, but she knows her team will need another solid offensive outing to reach Saturday’s MWC final. Four players – Porche Torrance, Caroline Durbin, Nikki Nelson and Lauren Taylor – scored 12 points or more against UNLV, which allowed the Lobos to avenge two previous losses to the Rebels.

Nelson came up particularly big, hitting four 3-pointers and sparking a closing 16-4 run.

“If we can get Nikki and Lauren to contribute again, maybe get a few more points from Jourdan Erskine, I like our chances,” Sanchez said. “It’s almost like a home game for us playing here, and with more of our fans coming in to watch the men’s team, we want to put on a good show.”
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal