UNM WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Lobos welcome AFA to the Pit, begin final stretch
UNM is fifth in the standings with four games scheduled in the next 11 days
With the finish line in sight, how much does the UNM women's basketball team have left in the tank?
Coming off an invigorating last-second victory at Grand Canyon, the Lobos begin a final sprint Saturday when they host Air Force for Senior Day at the Pit.
It's the first of four games in 11 days for UNM (18-9, 10-6 Mountain West), which enters Saturday in fifth place in the conference standings. The Lobos are hoping to move up at least one notch and earn a first-round bye in the fast-approaching Mountain West tournament March 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The goal is within reach. New Mexico trails fourth-place Colorado State (11-5 MWC) by one game and is two games back of Boise State and UNLV (both 10-4). All three of the teams UNM is chasing still have head-to-head games remaining against other top contenders. The Lobos do not.
New Mexico's finishing schedule is comprised of Air Force (12-14, 6-10), road games at Utah State (6-19, 2-14) and Nevada (8-18, 4-12), and home against Fresno State (14-13, 8-8).
Are there potential potholes? You bet.
The Lobos already have a home loss to Nevada on their docket and both Air Force and Fresno State have been playing their best ball of the season recently.
Still, it's a relatively favorable stretch of road for UNM and a chance to ride into Las Vegas with momentum.
"For us, it's all about keeping the right focus and intensity," Lobos coach Mike Bradbury said Friday. "We had that (Wednesday) at Grand Canyon and it was the same against UNLV (a 68-57 win on Jan. 28). We had great preparation for both those games and it showed. When we don't, we usually struggle. It's really that simple."
Task one is Air Force, a team the Lobos effectively handled in a 74-57 win Jan. 24 in Colorado Springs behind 29 points from Joana Magalhães. But the Falcons were without their best player, Milahnie Perry, for that game and they've gone 4-3 since then. AFA led Boise State by as many as 12 points in the second half Wednesday before the Broncos rallied for a 70-62 home victory.
"Perry obviously makes them a lot better," Bradbury said. "She can score from anywhere but she also makes her teammates better. She commands so much attention, she opens things up for other players, and Air Force has plenty of people who can hit open shots."
The Lobos finally managed to knock down some of their own shots Wednesday against Grand Canyon — including a game-winning alley oop banked in by Alyssa Hargrove with less than a second remaining. Prior to that, UNM shot 25%, 34% and 24% in three games, respectively, dropping two of the three.
Four Lobos (Magalhães, Hargrove, Cacia Antonio and Emma Najjuma) scored in double figures against the 'Lopes. UNM attacked the basket effectively and outscored GCU 38-16 in the paint, a strategy that also seems fitting for Saturday's game against guard-oriented Air Force.
SENIOR MOMENT: Saturday is not UNM's home finale, but the Lobos will recognize three seniors prior to the game: players Hargrove and Clarissa Craig and student manager KC Henry. Hargrove has been a full-time starter in her two seasons with the Lobos, while Craig's time at UNM has been plagued by injuries. Craig played in 10 games this season before a knee issue sidelined her.
The early Senior Day celebration is to allow players' families to attend, Bradbury said.
"We want to have (Senior Days) on Saturdays because they're day games," he said. "When you have it on a weekday night, a lot of players' families can't make it."
UNM's home finale is on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. against Fresno State.
