Nov. 19—The time for lineup tinkering is now.
The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team hosts South Carolina State on Wednesday in what amounts to a should-win game in the Pit. The Lobos won’t have another game fitting the same description anytime soon.
UNM (2-2) is coming off a relatively easy 85-56 victory over Division II Western New Mexico in which all 13 Lobos in uniform saw action. The competition figures to take a step up Wednesday against D-I South Carolina State of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
“They’re deep, they’re athletic and they’re good defensively,” Lobos coach Mike Bradbury said of the Bulldogs. “They like to play fast in transition and they really pound the boards.”
Still, UNM does not figure to get pushed as hard by South Carolina State (1-3) as it did against the likes of Northern Arizona or Texas Tech. The Bulldogs average just 51 points per game and they have not shot well from 3-point territory (13%).
If the Lobos take care of the basketball and hold their own on the boards, Wednesday’s game could be another chance for Bradbury to empty his bench. Considering the upcoming schedule, he’d happily take such a circumstance.
“We’re about to enter the gauntlet,” Bradbury said. “(Upcoming foes) Gonzaga, UC Irvine and North Texas were all picked to finish either first or second in their leagues, and New Mexico State has the best team they’ve had in years.”
All of that places extra emphasis on Wednesday’s game as UNM continues to look for its most effective player combinations. Freshman guard Joana Magalhães came off the bench against WNMU but is likely to return to the starting lineup in place of sophomore Lara Langermann against the Bulldogs. Bradbury has also switched up his substitution patterns through UNM’s first four games, but that trend figures to start changing soon.
“I really like our depth, but the bench is likely to get a little shorter after this one,” he said.
UNM has had numerous contributions off the bench, but a few players have already made solid cases for extended minutes. They include senior post Amhyia Moreland, sophomore guard/forward Paris Lauro and and freshman point guard Reza Po. If Langermann comes off the bench, that’s four solid options behind starters Viané Cumber, Destinee Hooks, Alyssa Hargrove, Hulda Joaquime and Magalhães.
New Mexico’s other reserves, forward Drew Jordon and guards Lydie Mwamba, Nayli Padilla and Lilli Hakkarainen, have all had impressive moments. Wednesday could offer another chance for them to make a positive impression.
SPEEDING UP: The Lobos have faced a steady diet of pressure defenses thus far and have generally fared well against them. The Lobos rank second in the Mountain West in scoring and have pushed to attack the basket when possible. Will up-tempo basketball be this team’s identity?
“I hope so,” Bradbury said. “As long as we take care of the basketball and keep getting better defensively, I think we can play fast. Having depth obviously helps with that, but we have to be able to get back quickly and play solid defense, too. You can’t just play fast in one direction.”
SEASONS OF CHANGE: UNM also hosted South Carolina during the 2022-23 season — a 107-55 win in which the Lobos hit 18 3-pointers. Only four players who participated in that game remain on the teams’ respective rosters: Janiah Hinton and Mekayla Lumpkin for SCSU; Cumber and Joaquim for UNM.
