Lobos regroup, ready for Air Force

There's never a good time for a losing streak, but ...

The University of New Mexico women's basketball team is hoping an uninterrupted week of practice will lead to a slump-busting performance Saturday in Colorado Springs.

The Lobos, eager to break out of a three-game losing skid, visit Air Force for a 1 p.m. tip at Clune Arena. On one hand, it's been a relatively long stretch since UNM's 75-62 loss to Grand Canyon last Saturday at the Pit. The bad taste of that game and previous losses to Nevada and San Diego State continues to linger.

On the other hand, the full week of practice has allowed the Lobos to reflect, regroup and devote extra time to addressing issues that led them to three straight losses.

Notable among them is a sputtering offense that's averaged just 59.7 points over UNM's last three games.

"That's been our biggest problem," Lobos coach Mike Bradbury said. "We've made a few defensive adjustments this week, but we've really worked hard on offense. We've added some things and just focused on fighting to move the ball from side to side to get better shots. That hasn't been happening lately."

Senior guard Alyssa Hargrove offered a similar assessment.

"I think a lot of our bad shots have led to bad defensive habits," she said. "Bad offense leads to bad defense and we kind of get caught in those spells. When we take a good shot, it helps our defense and then we tend to come down and get another good shot. It's just getting back in that cycle of knowing what's a good shot and making the most of each possession."

Not all of the week's adjustments involved on-court strategy. Hargrove said several meetings were held in hopes of getting everyone back on a positive track.

"A few of us met with the coaches," she said, "and talked about what we want to accomplish and how we're going to get there. We need to be more disciplined, getting here early, getting more shots up, being more intentional with our scout, really just set a new standard for ourselves."

The Lobos then got together for a players' meeting, which Hargrove described as productive.

"I feel like we got to a good place in that meeting," she said.

UNM's progress will be tested Saturday against Air Force, which has played its best basketball at home. The Falcons (8-11, 2-7 Mountain West) are 4-3 at Clune Arena and played conference contenders UNLV and Colorado State to the wire on their home floor. As usual, AFA plays aggressive defense that thrives on forcing turnovers and bad shots.

"Their guards are quick and they play extremely fast," Bradbury said. "They'll throw several different looks at you defensively, we'll have to be ready to adjust on the fly."

Hargrove said Air Force's disciplined approach can provide the kind of test UNM needs right now.

"I think being prepared mentally for this game is what we're focusing on," she said. "We need to play to (the Falcons') level in terms of effort and energy because they always bring that."

PINKY SWEAR: Freshman Kaia Foster's minutes have increased of late as she continues to bounce back from a broken right pinky finger. Foster estimates her finger is 90% recovered and she no longer has to tape or wrap it for practice or games. "It made my shot feel weird," she said of the injury, "but it's getting back to normal now." Foster has averaged 6.5 points over UNM's last four games while going 6-for-11 from 3-point range.