UNM women set to visit fast-and-furious Utah State

Anybody up for a 40-minute sprint?

Unappealing as that prospect may sound, it’s likely what the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team can expect Tuesday night in Logan, Utah.

The Lobos will visit the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum to take on Utah State, a struggling team with little to lose and a throw-the-kitchen-sink-at-them mentality. The Aggies (1-17, 0-6 Mountain West) come in mired in a 15-game losing streak, but they have established themselves as a team that will come out punching.

“They want things chaotic,” UNM coach Mike Bradbury said of the Aggies. “They will press for 40 minutes off a make or a miss, and they will play very, very, very fast. That’s the big difference you notice right away (under USU first-year coach Wesley Brooks), different style of play, very aggressive.”

From the Lobos’ perspective, that’s not all bad. UNM (12-7, 5-1) is more than willing to play up-tempo, transition basketball and generally excels at it. UNM ranks second in the Mountain West in scoring offense (72 points per game) and is coming off a fast-paced 78-74 victory at Colorado State on Saturday.

That doesn’t mean the Lobos want to try to beat Utah State at its own game. In addition to their all-out pressure defense, the Aggies bring new meaning to the term run and gun. They’ve attempted 520 3-pointers this season, nearly 28 per game and 70 more than any other MWC team. UNM has attempted 401.

“They don’t hesitate,” Bradbury said.

Asked if UNM would try to force Tuesday’s game into a slower pace, Bradbury said his team was not afraid of a foot race. USU averages an MWC-best 75 possessions per 40 minutes, while UNM is second at 73.7.

“We don’t mind playing fast,” he said, “just not chaotic. The pace can be as fast as they want it as long as we follow the plan and stay composed. If it starts looking chaotic, that’s a bad sign for us.”

Utah State is in rebuilding mode this season with a new staff and 10 new players — seven of them freshmen. But the Aggies have played MWC foes tough at home, staying within single digits of league contenders Colorado State and Boise State.

Senior Cheyenne Stubbs and freshman Carlie Latta are the top weapons for USU, which substitutes early and often to accommodate its break-neck style. The Aggies have been vulnerable on the boards. They’ve been outrebounded by 9.5 per game in Mountain West play.

ZONED IN: After struggling against a zone defense in the fourth quarter of a Jan. 12 loss to UNLV, UNM had few problems when Colorado State tried the same strategy on Saturday. The Lobos scored on three of four possessions against a zone defense and the Rams quickly abandoned it.

“Our offense is not perfect, but overall it’s been really efficient,” Bradbury said. “We worked hard on zone offense last week. It was good to see it pay off.”

CSU coach Ryun Williams also credited the Lobos’ attacking offense.

“They’re a difficult team to defend,” he told csurams.com. “They drive it down your throat.”

ROLE PLAYER: Senior transfer Alyssa Hargrove continues to serve as a Swiss Army knife for the Lobos, leading the team in assists (66), steals (43) and 3-point shooting percentage (42.9%) while ranking third in blocks (17) and scoring (8.2 points per game). She trails only Viané Cumber in minutes played, despite occasionally struggling with foul trouble.

It’s a new role for Hargrove, who is UNM’s primary ball-handler after playing off the ball in three previous seasons at Austin Peay State and Stetson. She already surpassed her previous career highs for assists and blocks and needs just two steals top the 44 she grabbed in 2021-22.

“We knew Alyssa was talented, but she hadn’t really played this role before,” Bradbury said. “We had to convince her to try it, but we were pretty sure she’d like it. I guess we wore her down and I’m glad we did, because she’s been really good. We’re a lot better when she’s in the game.”