New Mexico Lobos Women’s Basketball – Thanksgiving Tournament
When/Where: Friday-Saturday – The Pit
Friday: 7 p.m., Boston University (2-2) at New Mexico Lobos (0-4); 5 p.m., Stephen F. Austin (3-1) vs. UC Riverside (3-0)
Promotion: Toys for Tots. Bring a toy to the game and receive a $5 ticket
Lobos On The Air: 610-AM with Joe Behrend
GoLobos.com: Game Story, LoboTV, Stats, Quotes
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The frying pan of the early season – the “meat grinder” of Chicago, as Coach Yvonne Sanchez put it – is behind the Lobos. It’s time for hard lessons learned to produce what the Lobos do not yet have: a victory.
“It’s time,” said Lobo Coach Yvonne Sanchez. “It’s time for us to get into the win column. It’s time for us to do that.”
The New Mexico Lobos’ Thanksgiving Tournament is always a special time for Lobo women’s basketball. They gather as a team for the annual feast and families come from points near and far. The food part is no problem. The Lobos cater a bit, cook a lot.
“I love the Thanksgiving Tournament because we get to play at home and everyone’s family gets to come out,” said Lobo Khadijah Shumpert. “It’s a great atmosphere. It kind of reminds me of the movies and how holidays are supposed to be.”
Of course, the Thanksgiving Tournament is supposed to have a certain ending, too — with Lobos raising the championship trophy.
“We are all so motivated, not even just to prove ourselves, but to get a win,” said Shumpert.
The Lobos have proved themselves at various points in a game and for sure the nasty schedule Sanchez put in front of her team has helped the Lobos to the 0-4 start. They have played three games on the road and their first and only Pit game so far was Stanford.
The Lobos were a whisper, a rebound, a free throw way from upsetting No. 1/5 Stanford in The Pit on Monday. The Lobos also have lost to No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 18 DePaul. The Lobos have seen the frying pan and felt the fire.
The field of play for the Lobos’ Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday and Saturday in The Pit appears to be a bit more even.
The Lobos open with the Boston University Terriers at 7 p.m., Friday. The Terriers are 2-2. The earlier game (5 p.m.) pits the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks (3-1) vs. the UC Riverside Highlanders (3-0) of the Big West.
If you simply rate the conferences – and throw in the home-court advantage – you would expect Riverside to battle the Lobos in Saturday’s championship game.
Of course, the BU Terriers and the Ladyjacks have other plans.
“Obviously, we want to get in the win column,” said Sanchez. “But Boston, Stephen F. Austin and Cal Riverside will have something to say about that. They are good teams.”
Sanchez said with a two-day tournament at altitude she hopes to expand her roster, play more players, and look to wear teams down.
“We have to take advantage of playing at altitude,” said Sanchez. “We have to make some of these guys run, run up and down a little bit.”
Boston University has won two games at home but the Terriers are 0-2 away from the home court. The Terriers are led by sophomore Meghan Green, who averages 16.5 points and 9.8 rebounds. She can be a force in the paint, but also can drift out and hit the long shot.
Green shoots 54.3 percent from the floor – but is 66.7 percent from 3-point range. Green scores inside, outside and hits the boards, but her forte is scoring inside. She is 4-of-6 from 3-point range with 40 of her 46 shots coming inside the long line.
The Terriers obviously look to Green to score, but there is some balance on the BU scoring charts. They have six players averaging from 6.8 to 16.5 points. Mollie McKendrick is second in rebounding with a 7.3 average and adds 8.0 points per game. The main 3-point threat is Sarah Hope (11-of-28).
Stephen F. Austin also has a main gun in Taylor Ross with a 23-point average shooting 62.7 percent from the field. She gets a lot of help inside from Porsha Roberts, who averages 15.8 points and hauls down 11.3 rebounds per game. Roberts shoots 63.4 percent from the floor.
UC Riverside brings the only unblemished mark into The Pit and their 3-0 record has been carved out by three double-digit wins. The Highlanders have an outstanding guard in Brittany Crain, who averages 26.3 points and 9.0 boards. Riverside has two other players averaging double figures including Simone DeCoud with a 20.7 average. Crain is ranked No. 6 nationally in scoring average.
The Lobos are led in scoring by Shumpert (12.8) and Antiesha Brown (12.3). Shumpert is UNM’s top rebounder with an 8.3 average.
“Khadijah bring everything,” said Sanchez. “She scores. She rebounds. She defends. She is vocal. She is positive. Everything you want in a leader, Khadijah brings.
“We’re growing up. I don’t think Stanford was an anomaly. You play very good teams and you learn from it. We’ll do some really good things down the road. You can’t get too high and low because you play a really good game against Stanford.
“What you want to do is continue to develop.”
The Lobos will enter their Thanksgiving Tournament off some good family times and some good food. They will be well fed, but Shumpert says there is another craving that needs to be satisfied.
“There definitely is a hunger to get a win,” she said.