UNM WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Lobos looking to leave Boise on a high note
BSU is red-hot and 12-1 at home, but UNM is surging
It's fair to say the UNM Lobos would like nothing better than to leave Boise, Idaho on a high note.
There haven't been many.
New Mexico's women's basketball team is just 3-11 overall at Boise State heading into Saturday's showdown with the red-hot Broncos. And with BSU set to leave the Mountain West for the former Pac-12 after this season, the Lobos may not get another chance to win at ExtraMile Arena anytime soon.
Fittingly, the last scheduled matchup is a big one. UNM (16-7, 8-4) comes in on a four-game winning streak and shares fourth place with Colorado State in the MWC standings. Third-place Boise State (18-5, 9-3) is even hotter, having won eight straight, and is 12-1 at home this season.
"Boise State's as hot as anyone. They're playing really well," Lobos coach Mike Bradbury said Friday. "They have great shooters and they seem to be even better at home. We have to be on top of things defensively to give ourselves a chance to win."
UNM won the first meeting between the teams by a 70-63 margin on Dec. 20 at the Pit. That result serves to amplify the stakes for Saturday's rematch.
A win pulls UNM even with the Broncos in the standings with seven games left, and New Mexico would hold the tiebreaker edge based on a season sweep.
A loss leaves UNM two games behind Boise State, which has a favorable upcoming schedule.
"Every game is big now," Bradbury said, "but this is a big opportunity for us."
What will it take for the Lobos to pull off a win? Sound transition defense tops the list.
Boise State leads the Mountain West, and ranks third nationally, in 3-point shooting percentage (40.0%) and shoots even better in transition. The Broncos scorched UNM 89-80 last season in Boise with a slew of transition points. The Lobos were much more effective in this season's first meeting, limiting BSU to four fast-break points and 5-for-22 shooting from 3-point range.
"You just can't have many slip-ups defensively against them," Bradbury said. "If you miss a switch or a cut and leave someone open, they hit the shot."
UNM's defense has been locked in recently, allowing an average of just 49.5 points over its last four games. But three of those wins came against Air Force, Utah State and Wyoming, who rank toward the bottom of the MWC in terms of scoring offense.
New Mexico figures to need a good offensive performance Saturday to extend its winning streak. Boise State's defense has not been as good as its offense, but Bradbury knows his team must be efficient when it has the ball.
"We have to value every possession and find a way to steal a few," he said. "Whether it's rebounding or forcing turnovers, we need to create some extra possessions. Boise State shoots a better percentage than we do, so it's important for us to end up with more shots."
UNM outrebounded the Broncos 40-35 and attempted four more shots (64-60) during its win in Albuquerque. The Lobos also had four players score in double figures in that game, paced by Joana Magalhaes with 16 points. Boise State had just two double-figure scorers.
It's been a challenging week of travel for the Lobos, who played in Laramie, Wyoming on Wednesday, drove back to Denver and flew to Boise on Thursday and practiced there both Thursday and Friday. After Saturday's finale in Boise, UNM returns home for consecutive home games against San Jose State and Colorado State.
