Quick turnaround forces Lobo women to move past Thursday's loss
Jan. 29—Nine down and nine to go for the University of New Mexico women's basketball team.
The first half of Mountain West play ended on a down note for the Lobos, who dropped an 85-79 decision at UNLV on Thursday but start the second half tied with the Rebels for first place. UNM (17-5, 8-1) visits San Diego State (9-10, 3-5) on Saturday.
Fans were still buzzing on social media Friday about the strange ending of Thursday's game, one that was tied in the final minute before a series of official reviews and controversial calls caused the final 32 seconds of game time to last more than 15 minutes in actual time.
Lobos coach Mike Bradbury did not join in the online debate and said his players had also put the defeat behind them.
"Honestly, I think we'd put it behind us by the time we walked out of the locker room," Bradbury said before the Lobos began practice Friday in San Diego. "That was a tough one but you've got to have short memories in this game. We've got to worry about (Saturday). On to the next one."
Thursday's defeat snapped the Lobos' nine-game winning streak, but it rated more as a missed opportunity than a crippling blow. UNM and UNLV split their regular-season series and each has five home games among its nine games remaining before the MWC tournament tips off in March.
The Lobos will open the official second half against a baffling foe in San Diego State. The Aztecs gave UNM all it could handle in a 75-72 defeat earlier this month at the Pit, but they've also struggled mightily in some recent conference games. San Diego State shot an icy 31% in a 59-46 home loss to Air Force on Thursday.
"They've had some tough games," Bradbury said of the Aztecs, "but that's not how they play against us. I expect another game that goes down to the last minute, not one where they score in the 40s. They'll be ready to play us."
Bradbury hopes to tighten the defensive screws on two Aztecs who burned the Lobos in the Pit. Forward Mallory Adams hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 points, while point guard Asia Avinger finished with 10 points and nine assists.
UNM did an effective job on SDSU star and leading scorer Sophia Ramos (six points on 3-for-13 shooting), but Ramos previously has had her share of big games against the Lobos. New Mexico had a balanced scoring effort against the Aztecs as all five starters reached double figures in points. Only two starters, Shaiquel McGruder (27 points) and LaTora Duff (17), managed double figures Thursday at UNLV.
McGruder, who leads the Lobos in scoring at 14.9 points per game, has scored 20 or more six times this season. Coming into 2021-22, McGruder's career high was 18 points.
After Saturday's game, UNM plays three straight and five of its next six games at home. The Lobos are 11-0 at the Pit this season.
Saturday
Women: UNM at San Diego State, 1 p.m., themw.com (streaming), 610 AM/95.9 FM
